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Their SAiNGuiNARV Battles with the filipine Insurgents have gained for them imperishable renown and the honor of their grateful countrymen this volume which Recounts in Glowing Terms their Superb Valor, Their Self-Sacrificing Patriotism and Magnificent Achievements IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED as a sincere tribute to the dauntless heroism that has won the admiration of the whole world AND brought NEW GLORY TO OUR FLAG LIFE AND HEROIC DEEDS OF Admiral Dewey INCLUDING '' BATTLES IN THE PHILIPPINES CONTAINING A COMPLETE AND GLOWING ACCOUNT OF THE GRAND ACHIEVE- MENTS OF THE HERO OF MANILA; HIS ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE; HIS BRILLIANT CAREER IN THE GREAT CIVIL WAR; HIS FAMOUS VICTORY IN THE HARBOR OF MANILA, ETC., ETC. TOGETHER WITH THRILLING ACCOUNTS OF OUR GREAT VICTORIES IN THE PHILIPPINES THE CLIMATE, PRODUCTS AND RICH RESOURCES OF THESE WON- DERFUL ISLANDS, TOGETHER WITH THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE, THEIR CITIES, TOWNS, NATURAL SCENERY, ETC. BY LOUIS STANLEY YOUNG Editor of "The Bounding Billow,'' the official organ of Admiral Dewey's fleet, printed on board U. S. Flagship Olympia IN COLLABORATION WITH HENRY DAVENPORT NORTHROP The well-known Author Superbly Embellished with a Galaxy of Phototype Engravings NATIONAL PUBLISHING CO.. 239. 241 AND 24J AMERICAN ST., PHILADELPHIA, PA. TWO COPIES RECEIVED. horary of Congte^^ Office of tka ^ DI:U4-18P.9 Register of Copyrlghfa, 48701 Fntered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1899, by J. R. JONES In the Office of the I,ibrarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. All Rights Reserved SECOND COP% PREFACE. The whole world admires a hero, and no nation is more proud of its great men than is our own. Admiral Dewey won the battle of Manila, and gained the most brilliant naval victory known to history. This grand achievement startled the civilized world and made him the idol of his countrymen. His magnificent career is portrayed in this volume, and the splendid record is worthy of its illustrious subject. It furnishes a vivid description of him from his boyhood to the time when he sent the Spanish fleet to destruction and wrote his name high on the scroll of immortal fame. Many interesting anecdotes are related of the famous Admi- ral's ancestry, his home life and early training. Through his heroic deeds, which have been the wonder of all nations, the reader sees the grand qualities of the man and is charmed with his noble traits of character. A full account is eiven of the Admiral as a young naval cadet while he was preparing himself for the remarkable career which has given him a world-wide celebrity. His heroic exploits in the Civil War under Admiral Farragut are fully depicted. In the naval operations on the Mississippi he exhibited all the traits that distinguished him as the commander of our Asiatic fleet. Quick in decision, fearless in the face of danger, actuated only by loyalty to his country and an unflinch- ing sense of duty, he rose from one position to another by the force of merit alone until he became the crowning ornament of the American navy. Following the intensely interesting account of Admiral Dewey's boyhood and his brilliant career in our great Civil War, is a complete record of his service in the navy up to the time of our war with Spain, A thrilling description is furnished of the famous battle in Manila Bay in which Dewey gained his superb victory) and, without the loss of a single man, hurled destruction and 'ieath at the Spanish fleet. The reader's heart beats high and his blood tingles as he reads the vivid account of Admiral Dewey's vi PREFACE. grand achievements. He sees the " Iron Dogs of War " in battle, hears the thunder of guns, marks the cool daring of the gallant Admiral on the bridge of his flagship, and beholds "Old Glory" waving over the most wonderful naval victory of which history gives us any record. Admiral Dewey himself gives a most striking account of his great achievement, and none certainly could be more accurate or more interesting to the reader. In his own concise language he depicts the struggle, and we stand with him, as it were, on the bridge of his ship and look out upon the stirring scene, while all our emotions of patriotism are excited and we hail the news of victory. Facts and incidents relating to the renowned Admiral are woven throuo-h this volume. The eyes of the whole country have been turned toward the Philippine Islands, and public interest has followed eagerly the military operations of our gallant army. In addition to the life of Admiral Dewey and the thrilling story of his great naval vic- tory, this work contains a complete and vivid account of the battles in the Philippines ; the capture of Manila by our American troops ; the subsequent attack on the city by the army of Aguin- aldo, the insurgent general ; the brave advance of the American forces under Generals Otis, MacArthur, Wheaton, Hale, and others are all vividly portrayed. All the latest events that have brougfht renown to our arms and glory to our flag, including the thrilling exploit of Colonel Funston, when he charged the enemy's trenches with nine men, and other darino^ deeds of our o-allant soldiers, together with the negotiations between the Filipinos and our commanders to end the war, are depicted in this masterly volume. Added to all this is a graphic description of our new posses- sions in Asia. A fund of valuable information is furnished the reader concerning these wonderful islands. Admiral Dewey has said that our new tropical possessions are the key to commerce in Asia. Their climate, vast resources, rich soil and luxuriant products are all fully described, together with the cities, towns and manners and customs of the people. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. ADMIRAL DEWEY'S ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE 17 CHAPTER II. YOUNG DEWEY AS A NAVAL CADET AT ANNAPOLIS 29 CHAPTER III. DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN OUR GREAT CIVIL WAR .... 34 CHAPTER IV. THRILLING INCIDENTS OF DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE 48 CHAPTER V. STORY OF DEWEY'S MAGNIFICENT VICTORY AT MANILA AS TOLD IN "THE BOUXDLNG BILLOW," THE OFFICIAL OR- GAN OF THE FLEET, PUBLISHED ON THE FLAGSHIP OLYMPIA 64 CHAPTER VI. DESTRUCTION OF THE SPANISH FLEET IN MANILA BAY .... 88 CHAPTER VII. ADM1R-\L DEWEY'S ACCOUNT OF HIS GRAND ACHIEVEMENT. Ill CHAPTER VIII. SUPERB VALOR OF THE AMERICAN FLEET AT MANILA .... 133 CHAPTER IX. THE SPANISH FLAG STRUCK TO THE STARS AND STRIPES . . 148 CHAPTER X. DOWNFALL OF THE CAPITAL OF THE PHILIPPINES 167 vii vm CONTENTS. CHAPTER XL PAGB CAPTURE OF THE CITY OF MANILA BY ADMIRAL DEWEY AND GENERAL MERRITT 187 CHAPTER XII. \N OFFICER OF THE UNITED STATES SHIP RALEIGH TELLS HOW SHE FIRED THE FIRST SHOT 207 CHAPTER XIII. ON BOARD THE FLAGSHIP OLYMPIA WITH DEWEY 220 CHAPTER XIV. OUR SOLDIERS IN THE BATTLE AND CAPTURE OF MANILA . 231 CHAPTER XV. AGUINALDO AND OTHER LEADERS OF THE INSURGENTS ... 245 CHAPTER XVI. THE FILIPINOS AND THEIR WONDERFUL COUNTRY 260 CHAPTER XVIL STRANGE AND THRILLING SCENES IN AND AROUND MANILA . 273 CHAPTER XVIII. WAR WITH THE FILIPINO INSURGENTS 293 CHAPTER XIX. BRILLIANT ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR GALLANT SOLDIERS ... 306 CHAPTER XX. OUR FAMOUS NAVAL HERO CREATED AN ADMIRAL 323 CHAPTER XXI. HEROES OF THE BATTLEFIELDS IN THE PHILIPPINES 341 CONTENTS. ix CHAPTER XXII. DEWEY S BIG GUNS SOUNDED THE DOOM OF SPAIN 352 CHAPTER XXIII. A LIBERAL GOVERNMENT OFFERED TO THE FILIPINOS .... 363 CHAPTER XXIV. THE HEROIC DEEDS OF OUR NAVAL AND MILITARY COM- MANDERS CELEBRATED IN VERSE 373 CHAPTER XXV. THE STORY OF DEWEY'S GREAT VICTORY TOLD IN OFFICIAL REPORTS OF OUR NAVAL COMMANDERS 421 CHAPTER XXVI. OUR NEW POSSESSIONS— THEIR CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTS, RICH RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIES 434 CHAPTER XXVII. ADMIRAL DEWEY ON HIS FLAGSHIP HOMEWARD ROUND ... 443 CHAPTER XXVIII. CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT OF OUR BATTLESHIPS ... 463 CHAPTER XXIX. THE CHIEF OF THE UNITED STATES DETECTIVES TELLS HOW HK CAPTURED THE SPIES OF SPAIN 460 CHAPTER XXX. AGITATION FOR PEACE ENDS IN RENEWAL OF HOSTILITIES . 476 CHAPTER XXXI. VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE INSURGENTS 489 CHAPTER XXXn REMINISCENCES AND ANECDOTES OF ADMIRAL DEWEY -'AS PT" ^ ADMIRAL THE HERO OF MANILA. U. '*l««»1?(jl^j'" iji^ OLD SCHOOLHOUSE AT MONTPELIER, VERMONT, WHERE YOUNG DEWEY FIRST ATTENDED SCHOOL 1. -YOUNG DEWEY IN THE APPLE TREE 2. DEWEY AND HIS SISTER GIVING A THEATRICAL ENTERTAINMENT IN THE BARN 3. -HIS FIRST VOYAGE 4. -CHASTISED BY HIS SCHOOLMASTER LIEUTENANT DEWEY SAVING THE LIFE OF A COMRADE OFFICER DEWEY THE LAST TO LEAVE THE BURNING SHIP " MISSISSIPPI" CO z < UJ -I a: O 2 o UJ z LU -J H < 00 UJ I I- \- < a en O u. \- cc < I I CO o < CO i- D a < cc IT < < CC i Q < 111 z H l-~ C3 < cr < CO o I o ul > UJ O UJ a: Q z < tr UJ o CO < UJ o -I < C£ Z o < 1- < ca CO Z I- UJ a z < s o a UJ z ? o z L' a. JAILORS ON A UNITED STATES WARSHIP AWAITING ORDERS TO GO ALOFT < O I z < Q < O CO z o z o I- o > < o z CC u. SAILORS LEAVING THE SPANISH SHIP "REINA CHRISTINA" IN A STORM OF SHOT AND SHELL CAPTAIN LAMBERTON Admiral Dewey-s Chief of Staff CAPTAIN C. V. GRIDLEY Late Commander of Admiral Dewevs Flagship " Olympia " "you may fire when you are ready, gridley"— dewey I: UJ UJ CO > Llj UJ Q < U. O . CO Q. I CO i UJ ' X \- ! a i O ii : J z o ■ H o on UJ I h ^ z o t- co o CD OC lU tr o O K I < O CD C u. t- O C3 Z ::£ O O CAPTAIN COGHLAN Commander of the Raleigh KANSAS REGIMENT OFF FOR THE PHILIPPINES Q Ui h z ADMIRAL DEWEY, THE HERO OF THE GREAT NAVAL BATTLE OF MANILA CHAPTER I. Admiral Dewey's Ancestry and Early Life. ANY of the most glowing pages of history commemorate the grand achievements of Naval Heroes. Some of the fiercest battles have been fought on the water, and decided the destiny of nations. The men who have gained famous victories on the sea have invariably been made the idols of their countrymen. England had her Sir Francis Drake, her Lord Howe, her Rodney and Lord Nelson, the last of whom was elevated to the highest p^de^'^^al of renown. Our own country has had her Paul Jones, her Commodore 1 -■ and Ad- miral Farragut. The heroic exploits of these and other great laval com- manders will live as long as the historic deeds of the men who founded the nation, and of others who saved it in the dark hours of its peril. And now we have another great Naval Hero whose brilliant achieve- ments have given him a world-wide fame, and whose name is destined to be wreathed with immortal glory. Comparatively unknown until his guns at Manila shook the world with their reverberations, he suddenly became a popular hero, and his countrymen vie with one another in doing him honor. We have here a striking illustration of the fact that the emergency always brings the man. When the national crisis comes the great leaders are found to carry the Stars and Stripes through the thick of the fight, and maintain the prestige of the nation. It has always been so, and judging from the blood that flows in the veins of American manhood it will be so in all time to come. The courage of our navy and army has been tested in many a trying hour of our nation's history. That courage never yet has failed, and there is some reason for us to be proud of our achievements, and of the men who have been loyal to our flag and have maintained its honor. One of the most striking effects of Admiral Dewey's great victory at Manila was the revelation it gave to other nations of the globe of our naval 2 17 18 ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. power and our ability to dispute in sturdy fashion the supremacy of the seis Looking through the history of our country one can scarcely find a single naval battle where American ships were engaged in which they did no; triumph over their foe. This is due to both tact and courage. And here especially do the Yankee traits show themselves. Fertile in resources, quick to take in the situation, brave and resolute in the face of danger, and above all possessed of a patriotism that burns with undying ardor, the defenders of our country have shown themselves to be invincible, and the flag under which they fought has never been struck to a foreign foe. Grand Achievements of the American Navy. We may be pardoned if we recall with some degree of pride the achieve- ments of our navy in the past, and especially during the Spanish-American war. A very sudden and profound respect for our grim battleships has been created among other nations. They took little account of our navy, did not know its size or capacity, and it is safe to say that Continental Europe has been quite as much astonished at our tremendous victories as were the Spaniards themselves. Now, wherever one of our battleships goes the flags of other nations are dipped with such respect as never before was shown. Yet we have never claimed to be a warlike nation. There is a widespread and growing feeling against the settlement of disputes by the arbitrament of the sword. If any one imagines that the whole American people are warlike in sentiment, and care little for the grander victories of peace, that individual is making a very grave mistake. We venture upon no prophecies, but it is undoubtedly true that the children are born who will see international dis- putes settled, not by the sword, but by councils of peace. Yet when the time comes that the sword must be drawn, and the guns of our ships must be shotted with something besides blank cartridges, there is no shrink- ing from the call to arms. Admiral Dewey is a typical American. A man of peace until the hour came when peace could be maintained no longer, he was suddenly transformed into a warrior of iron mould, and was equal to the occasion. The American people are interested in the life and achievements of our (greatest naval hero. It has always been said that blood tells, and this state- ment receives a remarkable proof and illustration when we come to look into the ancestry of the hero of Manila. He is just such a man as might be expected from the ancestry that went before him. While it is sometimes possible to discover a man who, by the force of native genius, a genius not to be accounted for from his family history, comes to the front and surprises the world by his deeds, yet in the great majority of cases the old saying that blood tells holds strictly true. ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 19 While it will not add a particle to the everlasting fame which Dewey — • tiiere is only one " Dewey" — has brought to his surname through his heroism at Manila, yet it is agreeable to know that he is, in a genealogical point of view, no " upstart," and that, on the contrary, he is ready to " match " ances- tors with any one who may come along, and stands ready to back up his assertions with statements bearing on his claims found in Browning's "Ameri- cans of Royal Descent," Douglas' " Peerage of Scotland," Dugdala's " Baron- age of England," Anderson's " Royal Genealogies," " The Magna Charta Barons and their American Descendants," and the other big guns of his' genealogical armament. The Famous Admiral's Ancestors. Admiral Dewey's pedigree begins on the very border of mythology with Thor, the Saxon God, or cult-hero, who, according to the ancient Saxon chronicles and Snorra Edda of the Saxons, was the ancestor in the nineteenth or twentieth generation of another cult-hero, who is almost a myth, called variously Vothinn, Othinn, Odin, Bodo and Woden, the King of the West Saxons, A. D. 256-300, who, with his spouse, Frea, were the Mars and Venus of Saxon mythology. This King Woden, the God of war, is described as the great-great-grandfather of the bugaboos of English history, Horsa and Hcngst, brothers, freebooters and pirates, of whom the Saxon annals tell us that Hengst was the King of Saxons, and died between A. D. 474 and 495, first King of Kent. Leaving this progenitor of the Saxon rulers of Britain, Admiral Dewey's royal lineage passes along the royal Saxon line on the continent, through King Hengst's son, Prince Hartwaker, to the historic King Dieteric, and his " famous " wife (he had others), Wobrogera, a daughter of the unique char- acter, Bellun, King of the Worder. Their grandson, Witekind the Great, was the last King of the Saxons, A. D. 769-807, and then dwindled into only their Dukes, and Duke of Westphalia, while his descendants for a few gener- ations were only Counts of Wettin, until on the genealogical line we come to the great Robert — Robert-fortis — who, by his sword, became Count of Axjor and Orleans, Duke and Marquis of France, and won the hand of the fair I^dy Alisa, sister-in-law to the King of the Francs, Lothary L This hero of mediaeval history, Robert-fortis, the great-grandson of the great Witekind, was the founder of the so-called Capuchin line of monarchs of France, for from him, through a line of Dukes of France and Bur^^undy, Counts of Paris, etc., who by their swords and intermarriages, became firmly seated on French soil, was descended the celebrated Hugh Capet, Duke 01 France, who usurped the throne of France and supplanted Charles, Duke of ?0 ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. jCorraine, the heir of Louis d'Outremere, or King Louis IV, the last Carlovin- gian, or descendant of the great Emperor Charlemagne, to occupy the " French " throne. 'Tis said " blood will tell." How true it is in Dewey's case. The blood of the finest warriors of history tells in him. He inherited the " knack of knowing " when to do it and how to do it, and is the peer of any of his an- cestors from Hengst to Hugh Capet, yet unconsciously he emulated the traits of many of them. Two other Kings of the Capuchin line — Robert, the Pious, and Henry, the First — Dewey numbers among his illustrious ancestors, and Gibbon, in his history of the Roman Empire, tells us of the high lineage of one of his early ancestresses, Anne of Russia, wife of Henry I, of France. Gibbon states she was the daughter of Jaroslaus, Grand Duke or Czar of Russia, A. D. 1015-1051, who was a descendant of Basil, the Macedonian, first Emperor of Constantinople, of his line, A. D. 867, and that Basil was descended, on his father's side, from the Araeides, the rivals of Rome, possessors of the scepter of the East for 400 years, through a younger branch of the Parthian monarchs, reigning in Armenia ; and on his mother's side, from the European Constan- tine the Great, and Alexander the Great, the Macedonian. His Illustrious Lineage. All these illustrious historic characters were Dewey's ancestors and so also were many others, he or any one can ever be proud of. But gene- alogy, like politics, " makes strange bedfellows." He was born to these — good, bad and indifferent ancestors — they have been discovered for him, not manufactured, and of their attributes he has inherited the best, so it appears. Continuing Dewey's pedigree, we find that one of his ancestors — the one necessary to connect him with these historic characters — was the son of King Renry I of France, Hugh the Great, or Magnus, Duke of France and Bur- gundy, Marquis of Orleans and Count of Paris, and through his wife. Count of Vermandois and Valois, a noted man of his day. It is here that Dewey's pedigree leaves the Continent and begins to be a part of English history. Dewey's ancestress, Lady Isabel de Vermandois, was the daughter of the aforesaid Hugh Magnus, and was the first wife (he was her first husband) of Robert de Bellomont, or Beaumont, a Norman, Earl of Millent, who accompanied William of Normandy on his expedition to Eng- land, and for the part he took in the conquest was created in 1 103 Earl of Leicester and granted many manors in England, dying in 11 18. He had issue by Lady Isabel, Robert Bosse de Bellomont, 2d Earl of Leicester, who was justiciary of England, and dying in 1168 had issue by his wife, Lady ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 21 Amelia or Amicia, a daughter of Ralph de Waer, or Waher, who in 1066 was the Earl of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridge, but forfeited these earldoms in 1074 ; Robert-blanch-Mains, third Earl of Leicester and steward of England, whose daughter, Lady Margaret de Bellomont, was an ancestress of Admiral Dewey. This lady married Saher de Quincey, an English baron, created in 1207 by King John, to win him over to his side, Earl of Winchester. This baron accepted and enjoyed the honors conferred on him by John, but never was friendly to him. On the contrary, he was, next to Fitz Walter, the leader of the insurrectionary barons, and did as much work as any of them to compel King John to grant the Magna Charta — the charter of liberty — and was one of the twenty-five sureties chosen to enforce its observance. It is through this baron that Dewey is eligible to membership in the Order of Runnymede. Records of the English Peerage. Turning now to the pages of the Scottish peerage books, we learn that this Earl of Winchester's granddaughter, Elizabeth de Quincey, was the wife ol Alexander de Comyn, second Earl of Buchan, who was a descendant o» Donalbane, King of Scots, which gives Dewey a " strain " of the sturdiest sort. And reverting again to the English peerage, we find that Gilbert^, Baron d'Umfraville, married Lady Agnes, a daughter of the aforesaid Eliza- beth. Countess of Buchan, and was the progenitor of a line of Umfravilles to Lady Joan d'Umfraville, who married Sir William Lambert, Knight, Lord ol Owlton Manor, in Durham. From the authentic pedigrees of the official Heralds of England we learn that a great-granddaughter of this marriage was the wife of Thomas Lyman, Gent., of Navistoke, in Essex, who died in 1509, and the mother of Henry Lyman, of High Ongar, in Essex, who was the ancestor of that Richard Lyman, born at High Ongar Manor in 1580, who came to the Massachusetts Colony in 1631 and died in 1640 at Hartford, Conn., of which city he was one of the founders and earliest lot owners. His son, Richard Lyman's (of Windsor, Conn., died in 1662) daughter, Hepzibah, married, November 6, 1662, Josiah Dewey (who was baptized Oc- tober 10, 1641, and was the son of Thomas Dewey, the first of this surname to come to the New World — to Boston, Mass., in 1633) and they were the parents of Josiah, Jr., born December 24, 1666, who was the lineal ancestor, ^s set forth in the " Dewey Genealogy," by William T. Dewey, of Montpelier, Vt., of our gallant hero, Admiral George Dewey. George Dewey was born in Montpelier, Vt., on Christmas night, 1837. He came from the finest Colonial stock of New England, and he comes of ai 22 ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. good fighting stock as ever distinguished itself. It was such stock that con- ctituted the Green Mountain boys and the victory at Bunker Hill. As we have seen, his ancestor, Thomas Dewey, was among that small band of Pilgrims which landed in Massachusetts Bay in 1630. Old Ver- monters will tell you the legend of another of his ancestors, named the Rev. Jedediah Dewey, who began to preach the Gospel of Christ on that Sunday morning when the Battle of Bennington was fought. At the outbreak of wai the Rev. Jedediah laid down the Bible, asked the congregation to follow him shouldered his musket and marched to the firing line. When he had helped vanquish the English, he went back to church, opened the Bible, took up the fifthly part of his orthodox sermon and went on as if a victorious affray was an everyday affair. It is a striking coincidence that another Dewey should sail over to a great fleet on another Sunday morning, vanquish this fleet, then draw back his ships and have breakfast served. The Admiral's Religious Belief. George Dewey's father was a physician ; his mother, a beautiful woman and a wit, who died when her son was five years old. Her funeral took place from Christ Church, which her husband had founded, in which the future ad- miral was christened, and at whose chancel he took the vows of membership. This, in addition to his membership in Christ Church, answers the many rumors concerning Admiral Dewey's religious belief. He is, and has always been, a devout Episcopalian. He is one of the many great Christian com- manders of the world. Rumor has been busy making of George Dewey a very meek and quiet little boy. No one who knew him will define him by those adjectives. A boy may be shy, but with great force ; without debate, but full of timely action; not talking much, but observing and thinking. Such was young Dewey, if the talk of intimates places a fair estimate on his character. There were many traits in the boy that have been broadly developed in the man. He wanted to do things very thoroughly. He was quiet until his time came. He never shirked a punishment. He talked little, and, as a schoolmate said of him, " he was never a dirty little boy." The Admiral is remembered now for his punctilious grooming, his irre- proachable outfit, and as a small boy he always looked as if he had just been \mwrapped from tissue paper. No other boy dared taunt him with being " a girl baby " because he had (vhole stockings at all times and fresh, clean shirts whenever needed. They didn't taunt him, for the small boys of Montpelier had learned the lesson that ANCESTRY AND EARLY EITE. 23 George Dewey seems to be able to teach forcibly at all times — that he was able to soundly thrash those who annoyed him. He could beat boys swimming and handling horses, and you can't taunt a boy with the sneer of being " a girl baby " when he can beat you on your own territory of accomplishments. While he could soundly thrash a boy, he wasn't a coward when it CRme to taking his own thrashing if he was cor- nered. Major Z. K. Pangborn, editor of the Jersey City Jouryial, used to teach young Dewey and tell a story of how the young Vermonter was in a con- spiracy to thrash him, because his teaching wasn't approved. Major Pang- born learned of the conspiracy and had their punishment ready for them, and when they attempted their scheme he cornered them. The Admiral likes to tell this story, says Major Pangborn, but he doesn't tell all of it, which is that the other boys ran away and left Dewey, and he stood up like a man and took his thrashing. " He would have thrashed me willingly," said the master, " but when he couldn't, and he was caught, it evidently never entered his head to dodge and run." Story of the Master's Ruler. The day of the meeting of the Legislature, when the streets of Montpe- lier were crowded with visitors, was made a sort of festival. The stout young Vermonters from the outlying towns were treated to gingerbread and sweet cider, and there were public contests of strength and skill. On these occa- sions George Dewey often distinguished himself. His happy knack of win- ning contests dates from boyhood. It was at school that his " badness " was most in evidence. Accounts differ somewhat, and one asserts that he was a pugnacious little bully, fightmg his mates and fighting his teacher; yet even then there were hints of a higher ambition, not always appreciated. " I want to visit all the countries on earth," he said one day as he stood before the desk, " and get acquainted with all the rulers." The master grinned : " Here's one ruler I'll make you acquainted with right now," he remarked. It was a wooden ruler, and the ceremony was painful. But the lad's law- less behavior soon ceased to be a light matter, and he became the terror of the school, the ringleader of a gang of three, bigger and stronger than the rest, whose only study was how to thwart and torment the teacher. They ran the institution much like a troop of cowboys raiding a Western town. A-lready several teacher victims had suflcrcd and fled, discipline was hooted at and the trustees were at their wits' end — all on account of "that Dewey boy." 24 ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. There appeared on the scene a new master, one worthy of the title, as h proved, but they didn't know that yet. This was Z. K. Pangborn, already referred to, a husky young fellow just out of college. His name should be remembered, for he conquered Dewey, It was really a great event, the turning point in the boy's life. The beginning was not auspicious. Old residents say that when Pang- born first caught sight of the future Admiral the youngster was perched in a tree throwing stones at the other boys as they passed. From the first he had always managed to keep himself well supplied with ammunition. The teacher ordered him to quit ; such conduct was disgraceful. Dewey made a response that was not altogether polite. By evening the young rebel had organized his plan of attack. As usual he did not wait for the enemy to strike the first blow. He formed his com- panions into a company, provided plenty of ammunition in the form of frozen snowballs and lay in ambush by the roadside. When the teacher came within range he was greeted with a rattling volley, followed by fists at close quarters. Bad Boy Dewey alighted upon Panghorn's shoulders like a cata- mount and tried to throw him. The result was not decisive, but Pangborn retreated in some disorder, leaving the field to the boys. Lively Time in the Schoolroom. The next morning the schoolmaster made no mention of the surprise party, but promptly ordered a boy who was making a disturbance to take a seat on the front bench. That was the signal. The Dewey battalion rose in a body and marched forward. Their leader informed the teacher that they were going to " lick him." Pangborn reached for his rawhide. George struck out for all that was in him, but for once his blows didn't land, while the rawhide fell in raking broadsides on his head and shoulders and legs. Some of the other boys sailed in, but the master snatched a hickory stick from the woodbox and laid them low. A few hours later Pangborn escorted the battered twelve-year-old to his home and reported to his father that he had brought him his son, " somewhat the worse for wear, but still in condition for school work." The courtly Dr. Dewey thanked the teacher for his services and promised that the boy should be in his place the next day. All that young Dewey needed, apparently, was a master who could com- pel obedience and respect. The bad boy soon became the best boy in schooJ and the brightest scholar, and as he was acknowledged leader the others quickly fell into line. Years afterward George Dewey, then a Lieutenant in the Navy, again met the man who had mastered him. ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. 25 "I shall never cease to be grateful to you, sir," he said. "You made a man of me. But for that thrashing you gave me in Montpelier I should have probably been in the state prison by this time." So, in a certain sense, School- master Panghorn won the battle of Manila bay. In the final outcome the strokes of his rawhide fell on Spanish shoulders. Surprises His Early Acquaintances. Boys who grew up with young Dewey were surprised when he became the sensational and magnificent centerpiece of the war. He was so shy, so quiet, so unobtrusive in his Vermont life that no one predicted a career for him. He was not distinguished for any one thing. He was not even a brilliant student. It was rather astonishing to his more scintillating class- mates how he passed the entrance examination for Annapolis, as that ex- amination was even more difficult then than now. But he did pass, and that was another of the traits he has developed; and while he was appointed only as alternate and didn't get the preference appointment, it is another noticeable fact that he got in the academy and the preference man went into the ministry. Young Dewey exceedingly disliked society. No temptations offered by the young people of Montpelier could persuade him to join them in any of the simple or formal social life of the city. With girls he had little to say. They embarrassed him, and he never knew what to say to them. He made his firm friends among those girls who were willing to break down his shy- ness and expected no conversational brilliancy from him, but he would never enter into the gay life of the little town. He had stalwart friends among boys, for with all his shyness he had proved the red blood in him. He vv^as not a prude, and enjoyed life as it offered itself to him, a vigorous, healthy boy; but it was widely known among his schoolmates that he was not a liar, nor a coward, nor a boaster, but there was no boy, physically or morally, stronger in school or town. He was brought up to thank God for His mercies, and his father used to tell the follovving application of the boy's training : Once when George fell down from a fence and injured his arm his father said to him, as he was lus- tily screaming: ''My! but you are awkward; now you have broken your, arm." " Well, you should thank God I didn't break both of 'cm," sobbed the indignant young sufferer. George was not so shy, but he had the usual grain of conceit which is as salt to an egg in a strong man's character; and his favorite pastime as a small boy, and up until fourteen years of age, was playing actor. He had a thea- 26 ANCESTRY AND EARLY LIFE. tre in the barn, which was the Mecca of all small boys with talent and desire for fun. The curtain was a buffalo robe, the admission a few pins — and George always took the prominent part, the heavy role ! "The Performance Must Go On." His sister, Mrs. Greely, tells of a time when the star actress fell sick at the last moment, and George insisted she should take the part. She got horribly frightened and whispered to George she couldn't think of a thing to say. He answered: "Well, make it up as you go, then ; the performance must go on." Observe the commander of Manila in that boy ! When young Dewey was fourteen years old Major Pangforn, the teacher who had thrashed him, moved to a neighboring village and established a private school. George went with him, for he was sincerely fond of this teacher. But in a few months the boy began to be very restless and discon- tented. The desire for an army life made its appearance, and he begged his father to send him to a military academy. The nearest one was Norwich, which has since been moved to North- field, in the same State. So determined was he to enter the army that he had his studies at the academy given in view to a preparation for West Point. The drills of the academy were his delight, and he felt satisfied that he had chosen the right trend of life work. As the year went on, however, he began to care more for the naval side of the studies than the army. He shifted into these studies vigorously, and begged his father to let him go to sea. His father refused, and declared him- self in despair because this boy's heart seemed so set on taking up a rover's life. He gave the boy a year or two to try his resolve, and at seventeen young Dewey was still determined to take to the sea. Dr. Dewey determined that if George would go, he must go after the dignity of the Deweys, in keeping with his stock and class. He applied for an Annapolis appointment, but young Spaulding wanted it, too, and got the appointment with Dewey as alternate. However, Dewey got in the academy and stood his examination without especial brilliancy, but sufficient to pass lim. He entered Annapolis in 1854. Before following young Dewey to the school where he was to be educated i ( naval warfare, it will be of interest to take a further glance at his boj'hood. 1 < lU X o o u < n 111 Z o 3 uJ a. X LANDING OF UNITED STATES TROOPS IN THE PHILIPPINES > < > < o LU LU I- < ■J) Q LU z .*«rr?r— *^"*^ a. < Ll. O I z < o < o CQ 2 o I o _j o o z < CO DC o _l < CO OUR SOLDIER BOYS IN THE PHILIPPINES WRITING HOME AGUINALDO, THE INSURGENT LEADER OF THE FILIPINOS CAPTURE OF PAGSAJAN BV THE AMERICAN LAND AND NAVAL FORCES GENERAL FREDERICK FUNSTON ■AMOUS FOR HIS CHARGE ON THE TRENCHES OF THE INPURQENTS GENERAL MacARTHUR WHO IS RENOWNED FOR HIS GALLANT ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE PHILIPPINES YOUNG DEWEY AS A NAVAL CADET. 33 Sheriff's docket is a silent, but positive witness, took pkice in Kittcry, near the navy yard. The defense was that the assault was justifiable. From the point of view of a high-spirited young officer who had no use for a loafer and would not take back lalk from a fresh civilian it doubtless was; not so, however, in the eye of the law. The Sheriff of many years ago is now, by the way, one of the busiest men in York, and vigorous for one of his years. Besides editing and pub- lishing the York Courani — " a bright, iiv'ely local newspaper, devoted ti) the best interests of York and surrounding towns '' — he practices law, writes insurance, deals in general merchandise and acts as notary public. A Relic Highly Valued. Money could not buy the old docket, which shows that its owner once placed the great admiral under arrest and made him step into court and toe the mark. It is likely that the valued relic will be kept in the Plaistcd family and be handed down from generation to generation. There is but one other possible disposition of it. The former Sheriff may present it to Admiral Dewey when, at the first opportunity, he calls upon him to renew the ac- quaintance of many years ago. As a reminder of the days when he was a smart feeling young lieutenant and sniffed the salty air of the Piscataquis Meadows the tell-tale Sheriff's docket would doubtless please the Admiral mightily. The story here related is pretty strong evidence of the fact that Dewey was a positive character. He did not sink his individuality in that of any one else. He thought for himself, acted for himself and when the time came could defend himself and keep all intruders off from his own preserves. Never seeking a quarrel, never coveting the cheap glory of being a fighter and a victor over inferior youths, he yet maintained his dignity and had that sense of honor which, while it grants respect to others, expects it in equal degree for itself. a-D CHAPTER III. Dewey's Heroic Exploits in the Civil War. ATRIOTISM and the martial spirit have never been wanting in the Dewey family, as will be seen by the following authentic account of one of the heroes of the American Revolution. William Dewey second, Admiral Dewey's great-grandfather, was born at Lebanon, Connecticut, January ii, 1745 (or 6), and married in 1768 Rebecca Carrier, of Colchester, Connecticut. He died at Hanover, New Hampshire, June 10, 1813. His wife survived him until July 6, 1837, when she died and was buried at the same place. He served as a corporal in Captain Worthy Waters' com- pany from the town of Hebron, Connecticut. This company of minute men responded to the Lexington alarm, April^ 1775, and hurried to the scene of action. He was also a corporal in Colonel Jonathan Chase's regiment of militia which marched from Cornish, New * Hampshire, September, 1777, and joined the Continental t Army under General Gates near Saratoga, New York. In the latter part of the year we find him serving in Captain Samuel Payne's company. This information is taken from the records in the Adjutant's General's office in Montpelier, Vermont, and consequently is authentic and reliable. He was the father of fourteen children, the second of whom was Captain Simeon, Admiral Dewey's grandfather. After his graduation from the Naval Academy at Annapolis, young Dewey was ordered to the steam frigate Wabash, which cruised with the Mediterranean Squadron until 1859, when he returned to Annapolis to receive his final examination. George Dewey got his first commission on April iS^ 1 86 1. He was made lieutenant, and from 1861 to 1863 served on the Missis- sippi, which was a steam sloop of the West Gulf Squadron. Here again 'Dewey's luck was with him. Had he been graduated at any other time he would not have seen so much service, but that time was full of promise for the army and navy. When he left Annapolis in 1858 there were rumors of war drifting over the country from his little home in Vermont to that small station on the Gulf called Pensacola, Politicians and statesmen were bitterly talking in Washmg« 34 DEWEY CREST. "to the victor be- longs THE CROWN." DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 3o ton, vigorous and virulent pamplilcts were being written all over the countr)- by every man who could handle a trenchant pen. His two years as ensign, from '58 to '60, had been spent amtjngthe hopes and fears of every man in the navy that war would be declared and that the American warships would be allowed to use their guns for the first time since the institution of the modern American navy. Young Dewey was not less hopeful than dozens of other young officers that he would have a chance to fight. It is the spirit of war that has gone through all of the young men of the country. When the gun was fired from South Carolina across the harbor of Charleston every young man and every old man in the navy knew that the time of their lives had probably come. Too bitter had been the feeling, too strong and rankling the word contest to have any one feel that this gun was a plaything fired in caprice. Each man believed that he would show his right to be an admiral before the States were in union again. Young Dewey got his chance to fight, and fight well. Probably old Admiral Farragut gave the boy some good lessons in those days in the sub- tropical waters of the Gulf; lessons that made the young lieutenant of 1861 capable of being an admiral himself before he finished his career. There is no telling what lessons he studied under Farragut's flag, what dreams he dreamed, nor what hopes he cherished under his .shy, reserved nature. Farragut's Mantle Fell on Dewey. It may be that these forceful days of action under the hottest of Confed- erate fire, obeying the signals of the greatest naval commander America had produced, fortified him thoroughly with knowledge and experience and with courage, and that when his great opportunity came he sailed into Manila bay with all the strength of a Farragut and with all the quiet of the gicat commander. In order to understand the heroic part performed by Dewey under Ad- miral Farragut (not an admiral at this time), it will be neces.sary to give a detailed account of the exploits of this renowned commander, from which we may learn how desperate was the fighting around New Orleans and how brave were our gallant sailors who carried the Stars and Stripes to victory. Very early in the history of our Civil War the attention of the National Government had been directed to New Orleans ; and it was felt that so long as the city remained in the possession of the Confederates there could be no free navigation of the Mississippi. It was the key-position ; and whoever was .strong enough to hold that position was master of the great valley. In the autumn of 1861 it was resolved not to wait until the military combinations 36 DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. had forced a passage down the river, but to send a naval expedition, which, ^tted out in the Atlantic ports, should move up from the gulf The command )f this expedition was assigned to Captain David G. Farragut, a Tennessean by birth, and an officer who had seen service and done good work both in the Mexican campaign and in the naval operations of 1812. It was not, how- ever, until early in 1862 that this expedition showed any signs of vitality. By that time Stanton had succeeded Cameron as head of the War Department ; and the energy of the new chief was making itself everywhere felt. On the 2d of February Farragut sailed from Hampton Roads in the armored steamer Hartford. Having been detained by sickness at Key West, he did not reach Ship Island, his point of destination, until the 20th. of the same month. Farragut's instructions were of the most positive kind. He was to proceed with all possible dispatch to the Gulf of Mexico, and assume command of the western gulf squadron, relieving Flag-officer McKean. The gulf squadron, which was employed in enforcing the blockade, was to be con- siderably strengthened ; and in addition, there was to be attached to the squadron a powerful bomb flotilla, under Commander David Porter. Plans to Capture New Orleans. With these mortar vessels, as soon as they were ready, and with such others as might be spared from the blockade, he was to reduce the defenses which guarded the approaches to New Orleans, take possession of that city, under the guns of the squadron, and hold it until troops should be sent to his aid. If the expedition from Cairo should not yet have got down the river so far, he was to push a strong force up the stream past the city, and destroy the defenses in the rear. Thus instructed, and having been provided with plans of the principal works on the lower Mississippi, Farragut set about the accomplishment of his task. Arrangements had been made to back up the efforts of the fleet by a pov/erful land force. An army of eighteen thousand men was furnished and placed under the command of Major-General Butler. Farragut, we have seen, arrived at Ship Island on the 20th of February. On the 25th of the same month, General Butler, his troops on board five transports, sailed from Hamp- ton Roads. Porter's fleet of mortar boats, which were to rendezvous at Key West, arrived in due time. It was a formidable fleet. Fitted up in the Brookl> n Navy Yard, it had for months been the subject of not a little specula- tion; ai.d it was generally expected that with such instruments Porter and Farragut would be able to do some effective work. There were in all twenty- one vessels, of from two hundred to three hundred tons each, of great strength, and constructed so as to draw as little water as possible. They DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 37 were armed with mortars eirrbt and a half tons in wright, and capable of throwing a 15-inch shell. luich vessel carried also a 32-pounder rifled can- non. Before the middle of April the fleet was in perfect order; Butler, too, ADMIRAL DAVID G. P'ARRAGUT. had arrived ; and all necessary preparations had been made for a combined movement against the enemy. Strong as the National forces now undoubtedly were, Farragut had a 38 DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL W/iR. task on hand fitted to unnerve the strongest arm and to appall the stoutest heart. New Orleans was well fortified ; and the numerous narrow and, in some places, shallow outlets by which the Mississippi seeks the sea, make its approaches exceedingly perilous to ships of heavy tonnage. These outlets are five in number, and are named respectively Pass a I'Outre, Northeast Pass, Southeast Pass, South Pass, and Southwest Pass. At a bend about thirty miles up the river there were two powerful forts — one on the right or south bank, Fort Jackson, and the other on the left or north bank, Fort St. Philip. These barred the approach to the city from the gulf; and the Confederate? had armed them with more than one hundred guns of long range and large calibre. At this point a large chain, sustained upon eight hulks, was stretched across the river. Close to Fort Jackson there was a formidable water-battery ; and under the guns of the forts there was a fleet of thirteen gunboats, a powerful ironclad floating battery, called the Louisiana, carrying sixteen guns, and the steam-ram Manassas. Powerful Batteries and Destructive Fireships. In addition to all these tremendous war appliances, there were numerous rafts and fire-shipr. Further up the river and to the southwest of the town, on the bayous and lakes, there were elaborate and powerful works, which Beauregard had greatly strengthened. In and around the city of New Orleans there was a force of at least ten thousand men. General Twiggs, of somewhat questionable reputation as a soldier, had been entrusted by the Confederates with the defense of the city. His position, by this time, how- ever, had been assumed by Mansfield Lovell, formerly a politician and office- holder in New York., Lovell had for his assistant General Ruggles, a man of ability and energy. The general command of the river defenses was en- trusted to General J. K. Duncan, another New York office-holder, Forts Jackson and St. Philip being under the immediate command of Lieutenant- Colonel Edward Higgins. Lovell had made application to the governor of the State for ten thousand men ; but such had been the drain upon the army by the necessities of the Border States that not more than three thousand could be spared him as a reinforcement. As it was, however, it was not wholly without reason that the Confed- erate strength around New Orleans was believed by some to be sufficient to "beat off any navy in the world." "Our only fear," said one of the New Orleans journals, " is that the Northern invaders may not appear. We have made such extensive preparations to receive them that it were vexatious if their 'evincible armada escapes the fate we have in store for it." DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVH. WAR, 3;; If Lieutenant Dewey had read these boastings they would not have alarmed him. He was there for duty, there to fight when the time came, tliere to die for his country if such should be his fate. Under Farragut there was sore to be hot work, and also a chance for a young officer to distinguish himsf.lf, and so our men were ready and eager for the fray. None was more eag:' thari Dewey, who was then unknown except to those on board his own ship. On the 8th of April the national fleet, consisting of four sloops-of-war, seventeen gunboats, twenty-one mortar schooners, and two sailing vessel^ but having no ironclads, had been, with great labor, carried over the bar. The Brooklyn had been dragged through the mud of the Southwest Pass., At the shallowest part, the water was barely fifteen feet deep, the mud having /greatly increased in the channel since the commencement of the blockade. By the 17th all things were in readiness for an attack. Not only were the two fleets now fully in the river: Butler, with his troops, was at the Southwest Pass, immediately below, ready to take what action might be necessary. A fire-raft, which came sailing down the river, gave the Nationals an idea of the species of tactics the enem)- was disposed to adopt. On the following day the movement began in earnest. According to the plan agreed upon at Washington, and which formed part of the instructions given to Far- ragut, Porter was to attempt to reduce the forts by his mortars, and if he failed, Farragut was to run past them with his heavy vessels. In the event of the latter course being attended with success, Butler was to land his troops in the rear of St. Philip and carry it by assault. The Bombardment Begins. The south bank of the river for several miles below Fort Jackson was thickly wooded. At some distance below the bend, and in order to enable the guns of the fort to sweep the river and prevent the vessels from ascending, a large opening was cut through the wood. It was impossible, however, to rob the Nationals of all the advantages which the trees afforded. Lender cover of the woods, fourteen of the mortar boats, their masts and rigging being clothed with leafy boughs, to make them indistinguishable from trees, moved up the river and were moored at desirable points without being discovered. The remainder of Porter's boats were on the other side of the river ; but as it was found that they were in the range of the guns of the forts, they, too, were brought, on the morning of the second day, under cover of the woods. Early on the morning of the iSth the bombardment com- menced. The first shot was fired from Fort Jackson. Porter was ready to reply; the mortar vessels opened fire immediately; and the effect was ter- rific. DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 11 In Fort Jackson the barracks were set on fire soon after the bombani- ment opened. The guns were frequently silenced, the men being terror- stricken by the shells which were exploding all around them. It w.is observed that the shells were bursting in the air, in consequence of the bad- ness of the fuses. The fuses were, therefore, put in full length, to delay the explosion. The change had the desired effect. The shells, penetrating the ^ earth eighteen or twenty feet, and then exploding, tearing up the ground and scattering it all around, had the effect of a constantly repeating earthquake. The firing from the forts, in spite of all this, was kept up with great energy, shot and shell coming crashing through the woods and tearing up the trees by the roots. During the first twenty-four hours fifteen hundred bombs mu.st have been flung by Porter's mortars, the enemy replying with equal spirit; and for six weary days and nights this terrible work went on. No such continued and heavy fighting had been witnessed since the days of Nelson. At the distance of half a mile from the scene of action, window panes were broken by the concussion ; and fish, stunned by the dreadful explosions, were floating about on the surface of the water. Determined to Run Past the Forts. On the third day of the bombardment, Farragut, seeing that no decisive results were likely to be attained unless bolder measures were adopted, called a council and announced his determination to cut the barricade, run the gaunt- let of the forts, and pass up to the city of New Orleans in spite of their guns. Butler was at hand, with at least ten thousand troops, ready to land and assist in the capture of the forts, all his transports, with the exception of the Great Republic, having entered the Mississippi on the i8th. If this movement was to be carried out, the first thing to be done was to remove the obstructions from the river. On the night of the 20th, therefore, under cover of the dark- ness, a fierce north wind blowing at the time. Commander Bell, with the Pinola and Itaska, supported by the Iroquois, Kennebec and Winona, ran up to the boom. The reason why Dewey's ship was not assigned to this work was because of her being a side-wheeler, and therefore less easily handled and not so well suited to the undertaking as other vessels. The Pinola attempted, but unsuccessfully, to blow up one of the hulks, by means of a petard. The Itaska was lashed to the iuilk adjoining. A rocket thrown up from Fort Jackson revealed her presence, and a heavy fire was immediately opened upon her from the fortress. Nothing daunted, the men kept at their work ; and by means of cold chisel.s, hammers, sledges an*' 42 DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. saws, the chain was cut. The river being in full flood, the powerful current swung around both hulk and gunboat, the latter being grounded in the mud in shallow water. The Pinola came promptly to the rescue, and after some difficulty succeeded in carrying her consort back in safety to the fleet. Some two hours afterwards a fire-raft came blazing down the stream. It was caught, however, in time, and rendered harmless. Meantime the firing never ceases, either on board the mortar-boats or in the forts; and night after night those blazing fire-rafts are let loose on their errands of destruction. There were nc signs as yet that the forts would surrender. One thousand shells at least had burst within Fort Jackson ; twenty-five thousand had been hurled against il yet General Duncan could say: "God is certainly protecting us. WearestiL cheerful, and have an abiding faith in our ultimate success." A Night Famous In History. The arrangements for the onward movement up the river were now com- pleted. The chain was broken ; and Farragut was ready. On the night of the 23d the Itaska, which had run up to the boom, signalled that all was right — that the channel was clear, with the exception of the hulks, which, with care, might be easily passed. The fleet had been arranged in three divisions, under Farragut, Captain Bell, and Captain Theodorus Bailey. Six gunboats were to engage the water-battery below Fort Jackson, but were not to pro- ceed further. Farragut had charge of the first division, which consisted of the three large ships, the Hartford (flagship), the Richmond and the Brooklyn. This division was to keep to the right bank of the river and fight Fort Jack- son. The second division was under Bailey, and was composed of the Pensa- cola, Mississippi, Oneida, Varuna, Katahdin, Kineo, Wissahickon and Ports- mouth. This division was to keep to the left bank and fight Fort St. Philip. The third division, which comprised the Scioto, Winona, Iroquois, Pinola, Itaska and Kennebec, was under Bell, who Avas ordered to press on ne- glectful of the forts, and attack the Confederate fleet above. At one o'clock on the morning of the 24th all hands were called, hammocks stowed, and everything put in readiness to weigh anchor at two o'clock. The night was dark, and a heavy fog rested upon the river. All the men on board the ships were on the tiptoe of expectation. Our young lieutenant was cool and courageous, and it is safe to say that among all the men engaged in this celebrated battle no one was more quick to obey orders, or more active in the duty assigned than George Dewey. At two o'clock precisely two red lights were hung out. They were the signal for going into action. In less than an hour, the whole fleet was under ^■iy. There was an ominous silence at the forts, as if they were fully aware DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IX THE CIVH, WAR. 43 of what was going on, and were preparing to give the fleet a warm reception. Meanwhile Porter's boats had opened a terrific fire, literally filling the air with shells, and making night hideous with their noise. As if redoubling their efforts, the men kept up the firing with unceasing vigor until Farragut's vessels were all fairly in the heat of the conflict. The waning crescent of the moon revealed itself just as Farragut, struggling with the fierce current safely passed the broken chain, its pale light blending strangely with the fierce glare of the hissing shells. As the vessels under his care slovMy but steadily approached Fort Jackson, Farragut, from the fore-rigging of the Hartford, eagerly watched, with the help of his night-glciss, the movements of Bailey and Bell. When within a little over a mile of Fort Jackson, the guns of both forts opened upon him with great force and with singular precision of aim. Far- ragut was in no haste to reply, although the Haitford was hit several times. Drawing closer and closer, and waiting fully fifteen minutes after the first volley had been aimed at him, he began with two heavy guns which he had mounted on the forecastle ; and then, when within half a mile of Fort Jack- son, and having that work fairly within range, he sheered around and poured forth such broadsides of grape and canister that no living thing could stand before them. The men were driven from the barbette guns, and the wildest confusion prevailed. The Battle Rages with Fury. The firing from the casemates continued ; and the conflict raged with tremendous fury. The Richmond, which had successfully pa-^sed the barri- cade, soon came up and took part in the fight. The Brooklyn had been less fortunate. In passing through the opening made by the breaking of the chain, she became entangled with one of the hulks ; and while in this posi- tion she was exposed at once to the fire of the forts and to attacks from the Confederate ironclads. Scarcely was the Brooklyn extricated from this peril when the iron ram Manassas came down upon her with great fury, firing from the trap-door a heavy bolt at the Brooklyn's steam drum. Happily the shot lodged in some sand bags and did no harm. The next moment the ram butted into the ship's starboard ; but the im- petus was insufficient to make any impression on the Brooklyn, whose sides were bound round and round with chain armor. As the Manassas glided away and was lost in the darkness, and while still under the fire of Fort Jack- son, the Brooklyn encountered another steamer. The struggle with this one was short and sharp. One heart)- broadside, at the distance of fifty or sixty yards, and the strange vessel was no more. The Brooklyn was then abreast 44 DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. of Fort St. Philip, and her guns were within easy range. " I had the satis- faction," said Captain Craven, in his report, " of completely silencing that work before I left it, my men in the tops witnessing, in the flashes of the burst- ing shrapnel, the enemy running like sheep for more comfortable quarters." Farragut, meanwhile, was having enough to do on board the Hartford. While engaged with the forts, a huge fire-raft was pushed against him by the Manassas. In attempting to avoid the blazing raft, the Hartford ran aground, and in a moment, the incendiary having come crashing alongside of her, the ship was in flames on the port side and half way up to the main and mizzen tops. While the flames raged, the Hartford did not discontinue her cannon- ading. "All the time," says Farragut, "we were pouring shells into the forts, and they into us, and now and then a rebel steamer would get under our fire and receive our salutation of a broadside." The flames were soon extinguished ; and the Hartford, being released, sailed up the stream. Half an hour more and Farragut had successfully passed through the fiery storm, having done his work effectually as he moved along. Between the Fire of Two Forts. Bailey, with his second division, had had, if possible, even a harder ex- perience ; but his success was scarcely less marked. In crossing the river obstructions he encountered the fire of both forts ; and scarcely had he passed through, when, owing to the great speed of the Cayuga, he found himself ahead of his friends and alone in the midst of the Confederate fleet. His situation was one of extreme peril. The Manassas, the floating battery Louisiana, and at least sixteen other armed vessels, all turned upon him, and his vessel seemed doomed. The swiftness of the ship came to his aid, and he handled her with exquisite skill. While completely successful in so keep- ing out of the way of the Confederate ironclads that they could neither butt nor board him, he so used his guns that he compelled three of them to sur- render before any aid came to him. Meanwhile the Varuna, Captain Boggs, and the Oneida, Captain Lee, came up and engaged the enemy. The Cayuga had been hit forty-two times, and was so damaged that Bailey deemed it prudent to retire. The Varuna was the next object of attack. Boggs found himself, all at once, after passing the forts, as he said in his report, " amid a nest of rebel steamers." The brave captain did not hesitate as to what he should do. Rushing at once into the midst of them, he " worked both his sides, loaded with grape," producing terrible havoc among the Confederate ships, which were strangely over- crowded. " An explosion, terrific yells, a careen, and that fellow is done forr" 3uch is the language of an eye-witness, DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 45 And so the fearful work goes on, until the Varunu has sunk, one after another, six of the enemy's vessels. Meanwhile she was badly hurt herself. The heavy shot of the ironclads had told on her rigging and on her timbers. One raking discharge from one of them had killed four and wounded nine of iier men. Four times she had been butted b)' the powerful rams of her an- tagonists. The last time she was struck her side was crushed in ; but before, the ram could get out of her way, she put through her unarmored stern fivq 8-inch shells " that settled her, and she went ashore in flames." In fifteen minutes after she was struck, the Varuna went to the bottom ; but in the) interval she had settled her antagonist. It was noble fighting, conducted in the true spirit of the sea kings of ancient times. Kept Up the Fight to the Last. The Moore was the last vessel which the Varuna had to encounter. Badly disabled as the Varuna was, Boggs kept up the fight, with his vessel aground and her bow tied to the trees. It was not until the water was up over the gun-trucks that the captain gave his attention to the saving of his men. Happily all the survivors, including the wounded, were got out and saved before the vessel went down. At the last moment the Oneida, Captain Lee, came up to the aid of the sinking Varuna. Boggs " waved him on " after the Moore, which was in flames, but trying to get away. In a little while the Moore was surrendered to the Oneida by the second officer, the captain hav- ing fled, after setting the vessel on fire. But for her timely capture, fifty of her men, maimed and wounded, must have perished in the flames. Bell had been less fortunate than either Farragut or Bailey in bringing his ships into action and accomplishing the ta.sk assigned him. The Scioto, Iroquois, and Pinola passed the forts; but the Itaska, being disabled, drifted down the river. The Winona recoiled from the terrible fire which had proved fatal to her companion. The Kennebec got entangled in attempting to pass the obstructions, and finally, having lost her way in the darkness, returned to her moorings. The fight was now ended. It had been as brief as it had been desperate. It was little more than an hour and a half since the fleet had left its moor- ings; and in that brief space of time all that it was intended to do had been successfully accomplished. The forts had been passed and the Confederate navy was destroyed. Such was the great naval battle in which Dewey received his first bap- tism of fire. It was enough to try his nerves and tell the kind of stuff of which he was made. His superiors assert that no one on that notable day acted his part more heroically, and who can tell but the lesson taught him by DEWEY'S HEROIC EXPLOITS IN THE CIVIL WAR. 47 our old iron Admiral, Farragut, helped him to win at Manila the superb vic- tory with which his name will hereafter ever be associated? Captain 11. II. Bell, captain of the fleet, reported to Farragut of the fight: " I witnessed the decisive manner in which the noble old steamship Mis- sissippi, Commodore Melancthon Smith, mot that ' pigmy monster,' the Manassas, the Confederate armored ram. The Mississippi made at her, but the Manassas sheered off to avoid the collision and landed on the shore, where her crew escaped over the roof, the Mississippi pelting her meanwhile with her heavy guns." Commodore Smith, of the Mississippi, reported to Farragut, referring to this combat " in terms of praise to the conduct of all the officers and men " under his command, adding that " all the vessels under fire did their utmost to subdue the enemy and destroy his defenses," and that it was " unnecessary to enter into any further details of the exploits performed by the Mississippi, as we all must share alike in the honor of your victory." But the commander of this ship made a special mention — the only one in his report — in these words : " I have nmch pleasure in mentioning the efficient service rendered by Executive Officer George Dewey, who kept the vessel in her station during the engagement, a task exceedingly difficult from the darkness and thick smoke, that enveloped us from the fire of our own vessels, and the burning gunboats." Thus it will be seen that Officer Dewey distinguished himself on this occasion and received special mention and praise from the commander of the ship to which he was attached. He showed the same heroic qualities which afterward made him conspicuous as a naval commander and which were especially exhibited in the great sea-fight at Manila. He received his first training under Admiral Farragut, and certainly he could not have had a better instructor or a grander example to follow. CHAPTER IV. Thrilling Incidents of Dewey's First Battle. MINUTE account of the part performed in the capture of Neu Orleans by the ship on which Dewey was a minor officer, will be of interest to the reader. The general character and thrilling inci- dents of the battle have already been described, but other transac- Lions with which Dewey was closely connected will portray his valor. These should be here described, even at the risk of traversing some of the ground surveyed in the preceding chapter. To go back then to the beginning, when Fort Sumter was fired on Dewey was in Montpelier. But he did not stay there. His Yankee blood was up. Just one week later— April 19, 1861 — he was commissioned lieutenant and was assigned at once to the steam sloop Mississippi, which was to take part in the fierce fighting of the West Gulf squadron. Ship on wliicli He Fought. The sloop of war Mississippi was a side-wheel steamer of seventeen guns. Her commander was Melancthon Smith. The Western Gulf blockad- ing squadron was under command of Captain David G. Farragut, and the vessels that assembled at the mouth of the Mississippi river in March, 1862, consisted of four new sloops, the Hartford, Pensacola, Brooklyn and Rich- mond; one side-wheel steamer, the Mississippi; three screw corvettes, ihe Oneida, Varuna and Iroquois, and nine screw gunboats, the Cayuga, Itasca, Katahdin, Kennebec, Kineo, Pinola, Sciota, Winona, and Wissahickon. On April 7th the Pensacola and the Mississippi, after several attempts, were dragged through the mud by powerful auxiliary tugs and steamers into the mouth of the great river. They were two of the heaviest vessels that had ever entered the Mississippi. The first obstacle to the progress of the fleet up the Mississippi was at Plaquemine Bend, ninety miles below New Orleans, where, on the banks of the river, permanent fortifications existed, the one on the left called Fort St. Philip, and the one on the right called Fort Jackson. In Fort St. Philip were no less than forty-two guns commanding the river, besides two mortars and a battery of four sea-coast mortars, situated below the water battery. Fort Jackson had sixty-two guns and a water battery. But these guns, although many in number, were small in calibre. Out of 100 guns in the two works, 48 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 49 j6 of them were 24-pounders. In addition to the forts the Confederates had fourteen vessels and a steam ram, as a defense fleet, above the forts. Farragut's fleet moved slowly and cautiously up the river, and on April 1 8th, at 10 o'clock in the morning, the bombardment of the two forts began. Fort St. Philip and Fort Jackson replied with heavy shot, and before noon two of the vessels dropped out of the firing line. The flotilla continued firing until 6 P. M., when they ceased by signal. On the following day the signal was renewed. The bombardment continued for three days without noteworthy incident. In the forts the quarters were burned and the magazines endangered. The garrison of Fort Jackson were compelled to live in the casements, which were practically flooded from the high state of the river. On the night of April 23d, the vessels of Farragut's squadron, stripped of every spare rope and spar, formed in single line. At 2 o'clock the flagship hoisted the signal and tht fleet started to run past the fort, the Cayuga leading. The Pcnsacola fol- lowed, with the Mississippi, on board of which was young Lieutenant Dewey, the third in line. Then came the Oneida, the Varuna and the others. The Confederate fire commenced as the Pensacola passed the forts. Dewey's Ship Struck by the Confederate Ram. The Mississippi followed, and as the old side-wheeler came abreast of Fort St. Philip the rebel ram Manassas, coming down stream, charged at her, striking on the port side near the mizzen mast, at the same time firing her single gun. The jar caused the ship to list slightly, and the blow, a glancing stroke, only inflicted a wound seven feet long and four inches deep. At this point the current of the river caught the Mississippi on her starboard bow and carried her across to the Fort Jackson side of the stream. Abreast of St. Philip the vessel drew so close to shoic that the gunners on land, and those afloat, cursed each other as they looked. At daybreak the Union fleet anchored five miles above the forts, and early the next morning proceeded up the river. The fleet attack on the river forts, called the battle of New Orleans, practically decided the fate of that city. On April 25th the fleet anchored opposite the city, where the levees were ablaze and ships on fire, and every- thiner ashore was in utter confusion. Marines were sent ashore and the public buildings guarded until the arrival of General Butler on May ist. Port Hudson was at a bend in the river, where there were bluffs a hundred feet high. The Confederates had mounted nineteen heavy guns on the east bank. On the opposite shore, just below the bend, a dangerous shore was located. 4-D 60 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. Commander Farragut's purpose in moving on Port Hudson was simply to pass the bluff batteries, in order to blockade the river above the bend. He had with him the flagship Hartford, the Monongahela, the Mississippi, the Richmond, Genesee, Albatross and Kineo. It was lo o'clock at night, March 14, 1863, that the signal to advance was given, and the ships weighed anchor in the following order : Hartford, Richmond, Monongahela, Mississippi, with the smaller boats, the Albatross, Kineo and Genesee accompanying the first three vessels named. PORT HUDSON. The Hartford and the Albatross led the way, were attacked with loss of life and put back. The Richmond and her consort, the Genesee, met with no better success, and after being damaged were compelled to turn down stream, with three killed and fifteen wounded. The Monongahela and the Kineo came next, the last being injured and turning about, while the Monongahela went aground, finally getting free, drifting down stream, with a loss of six. killed and twenty-one wounded. Then came the Mississippi, steaming ahead to meet a worse fate, while Lieutenant George Dewey, with the others of her crew, were to fight not only for their flag and their country, but for their lives in the muddy waters of the river of rivers. DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 61 It is rather a coincidence that young Dewey should have been commisi sioncd to go with Farragut, to sail by the Admiral's flag in the most strategic warfare that America had ever had on sea, and that this same Dewey should be the next admiral in the United States Navy after Farragut, after a lapse of nearly thirty-five years. The great old Admiral could never have wished to see the signs and symbols fall upon a worthier head than George Dewey's. His is the quiet, commanding, superbly courageous temperament that F.ir- ragut admired. Every one knows the story of a lieutenant's signal to P^arragut on the flagship: "There are torpedoes ahead; we can't get in the harbor," and Farragut's terse reply when he damned the torpedoes and sailed calmly over them. So his spirit must have been delighted when looking down upon his first successor and his old pupil, he saw the smile on Dewey's face as the Spanish mines exploded on every side of the Olympia : " So," said the Com- modore, " they have some pretty good mines after all," and kept the Olympia on her course. No man who fought with Farragut had to wait until the Spanish war to have known all that was worst and horrible in fighting. Officer Dewey in the Storm of Battle. Fearful as the fire from the shore batteries of Manila was, George Dewey had received a worse baptism when he tried to run up the Mississippi River under Farragut in 1862, forcing the harbor of New Orleans. No man who went through that day could ever live to see a worse day until his death. Every one knows what Farragut did when he tried to force a passage up the great river that second year of the war. Whatever the Confeders,tes had done in the way of fierce fighting they did then. In 1862 Dewey had his first test of Spanish strategy and Spanish fire, for the Creoles of New Orleans were a graft of the same people he A)ught on May ist, 1898. In the battle of Manila Dewey fired his shells at a 4000-yard line from the Spanish fleet and the foes could be well distinguished with a field glass, but on that day in 1862 as Dewey's ship, the Mississippi, was passing P'ort Philip, it was subjected to such a raking fire from the Confederate artiller)- at such close range that the veterans tell to-day how men on board the ships and those in the forts kept up a running fire of cursing compliments to each other, which was entirely audible to ever}' one on the river and on the land. One year later Dewey received his first recognition for individual L»iaver} . The Mississippi, his boat, was trying to pass Fort Hudson on the rivci in the middle of the nigrht. Such was Farragut's orders that all lights were extin 52 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. guished, and the desire was to slip by so that the enemy would not even know of the presence of the boat. Dewey gave an order on this night which showed his strategy and fore- thought. He made the men whitewash the decks of the ship, so the gunners ivould be able to see without lights should the land batteries open up on the sloop. The Confederates never slept, and the Mississippi was discovered very quickly. She was riddled with shot from the fort and she soon caught fire. Yet there was no lack of bravery on the Federal side ; rather v/as there a desperate valor displayed by the men on board the Mississippi, such as might be expected from sailors commanded by officers of the Dewey type. His act of ordering the decks of his vessel whitewashed had a suggestion of the Yankee about it, the act of a young officer who had his wits about him and was watching every opportunity to thwart and defeat the enemy. Great Tact and Resources. That Dewey showed on this occasion the qualities that afterward distin- guished him is plain to every reader of the thrilling story. If his ship were lighted up it would instantly become a mark for the batteries on shore, yet the sailors could not work in darkness. It was a happy project to whiten the decks of the ship in order by the reflection of the white surface to aid the men who were making such heroic efforts to escape the shells of the foe. Other things being equal, the man who can think best and quickest in the hour of danger, meeting every emergency with consummate strategy, is the one who will wrest victory from even apparent defeat. Dewey has shown that he has no superior in tact and in ability to meet every crisis presenting itself His ready resources were conspicuously displayed at Manila, when he gave his orders with the utmost coolness and deliberation, meeting every new crisis in the battle with the genius of a master. Some historians say the Confederates sent out floating drifts of kerosene- soaked wood, so that it was impossible for the sloop to get out of their way and she caught fire. Others say that in half an hour 250 shots had struck the ship, and her crew, seeing that they had to abandon her, fired her before dropping over the sides. Whichever it was, the Mississippi was riddled and burning, and worst of all ran aground. Orders were given to officers and men to leave as quickly as possible and make their way to the opposite shore, hoping for protection from the enemy's shells by the burning ship. Orders to leave were imperative, and every man knew what was behind the haste, that it would be only a few moments before the flames reached the magazine of the Mississippi. Although Dewey was only lieutenant he was the last man to leave the DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 53 ship. He stood there quietly, helping every one else to leave, waiting till every person was off before he dropped into the water and swam across. This was bravery, but it was duty; this was supreme courage, but it is what the world always expects of the men in the army and navy. Fine as this was it was not the reason for his promotion. The reason was this: as each one of the crew jumped overboard on the dark side to swim to shore the e.xplo- sion of the unintermittcnt shells made every movement dangerous. The waters of the Mississippi, which is at the best a treacherous river, were being fairly churned into fountains of foam by the shot and shell, and the exploding hot metal was running into the water at every seeming inch ol space. In the midst of all this a sailor who jumped overboard was struck. He was too wounded to catch his swimmiag pace as he struck the water. Lieutenant Dewey saw this incident in all the darkness and fearful noise, and without hesitation he jumped overboard, put his arm around the wounded sailor, held him until he got his strength again, and helped him into shallow water. Then he went back to his ship and remained there until every man had left. This was an action after Farragut's heart, and the admiral instantly mentioned him for promotion. Dewey was hardly out of swimming reach ol the ship when the magazine exploded. Last to Leave the Burning Ship. Admiral Porter, in his " Naval History of the Civil War," thus describes the end of the old side-wheeler Mississippi : ." Captain Smith gave the order to spike the port battery and throw the guns overboard, but it was not done, for the enemy's fire was becoming so rapid and severe that the captain deemed it judicious to abandon the ship at once in order to save the lives of the men. The ship was first set on fire in the forward store-room, but three shots came through below her water-line and put out the flames. She was then set on fire in four places aft, and when the flames were well under way, so as to make her destruction certain. Cap- tain Smith and his first lieutenant, George Dewey, left the ship, all the officers and crew having been landed before." A marine on the ill-fated Mississippi relates the following .stor>' of the disaster: " The crew were told to save themselves. Lieutenant Dewey could have escaped easily, as he was a bold, powerful swimmer, hut ho was too unselfish to think of him.self so long as any of his comrades were in danger. Not far from him he spied a seaman who was trj'ing his best to keep above water after his right arm had been paralyzed by a bullet. Dewey struck right out 54 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. /or him and gave him a Hft till they reached a floating spar. Then the wounded man was towed ashore in safety." The year of 1863 was not to be ended without another great fight, for Dewey was on one of the gunboats at the engagement at Donaldsonville. There he learned some lessons in fighting strategy again. In 1864 and 1865 he was in command of the Agawam and was in the battle at Fort Fisher. ^ In March, 1865, the administration sent him the commission of lieutenant- commander. Although Lieutenant Dewey was perfectly willing to risk his life for a sailor he was equally willing to punish him when he deserved it. It is nothing against Dewey that there is rome iron in his composition, and he is the last man to be imposed upon. There are men who are very polite and gentlemanly always, and you see only the mild side of their char- acters until there is something to awaken their spirit and arouse their sterner qualities. All accounts agree that Dewey knows how to put his foot down witii a ton's force when occasion demands it. What would any other sort of man be fit for in the United States navy? There must be order, which is Heaven's first law ; there must be discipline, which is the making of a soldier. No weak Dewey could have commanded that Asiatic squadron of ours. And what he was on the day of his great victory was but an expansion and development of what he was when he went forth at the call of his country during the Civil War. It is pleasant to look back and take his picture in those early days. He submitted to the most rigid discipline without com- plamt; he entered upon the discharge of the most difficult duties without seeking to escape the labor and responsibility involved ; he was ready for the most heroic sacrifice. Dewey Engaged in Patrol Service. After the loss of the Mississippi Lieutenant Dewey was transferred to one of the smaller gunboats in Admiral Farragut's squadron, which patrolled the river from Cairo to Vicksburg during May and June. Vicksburg surren- dered July 4, 1863, and the Mississippi was open from Cairo to the Gulf. Admiral Porter was given command of the river down to New Orleans, while Farragut was ordered to confine himself to the coast blockade. Early in 1864 Lieutenant Dewey \yas transferred to the North Atlantic blockading squadron, and assigned to the gunboat Agawam, an unarmored side- wheel steamer of 974 tons, carrying eight guns. Dewey was made executive officer of the vessel. While attached to the North Atlantic squadron Lieutenant Dewey par- ticipated in the famous attack on Fort Fisher. It was on December i8th that the largest fleet that had ever sailed under the Union flag proceeded to rendez- DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 56 I'cus twenty-five miles east of Fort Fisher. The fleet moved on December 23d, and engaged the forts. On the second day of the bombardment the majority of the vessels withdrew to Beaufort for ammunition and coal. The attack was renewed on January 12, 1865, and continued for several days. The final assault was made on January 15th both by land and sea, the success of the battle being one of the well-known Union victories of the Civil War. On March 3, 1S65, Lieutenant Dewey was promoted to the rank of lieu- tenant commander, and was assigned to duty on the famous old sloop Kcar- sarge, which carried seven guns. Lieutenant-Commander Dewey was ordered home from the European station early in 1867, and was assigned to duty at the Kittery Navy Yard at Portsmouth, N. H. While in Portsmouth he first met the young woman who captured his heart, and whom he married October 24, 1867. She was Miss Susan B. Goodwin, a daughter of Ichabod Goodwin, the war Governor of New Hamp- shire, and known far and wide as "Fighting Governor Goodwin." Promoted to the Rank of Comniander. Shortly after their marriage Dewey was assigned to duty at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. Two years later he was placed in command of the Narragansett, and, on April 13, 1872, he was promoted to the rank of com- mander. Then came the great sorrow of the young officer's career. The young wife was spending a summer in Newport and preparations were being made for an event which it was hoped would crown with joy their wedded life. A son was born December 23d, but some days later, on December 28th, the mother died. The boy was christened George Goodwin, in honor of his proud grandfather, and grew to vigorous manhood. The death of his wife was a sad blow to the brave young commander, and his sister is the authority for the statement that he felt as if in no little measure his career had ended at the grave of his wife. Early in 1873 he sailed as commander of the Narragansett for the Pacific coast, where he was engaged in making surveys until 1876. Then he was recalled to Washington to be made a lighthouse inspector, and later the sec- j-etary of the Lighthouse Board. lie commanded the Juniata in the Asiatic station in 1882-83, and on the 27th of September, 1884. was made a captain and put in charge of the Dolphin, then one of the four new vessels which formed the original " white squadron." From 1865, after General Lee's surrender. Lieutenant Dewey's life was after the conventional pattern of all navy officers. He ro.se by degrees- but had one or two pleasant assignments which kept his nickname a " The 66 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. Lucky" before his associates' minds. From 1865 he served on the Kearsarge and Colorado as heutenant-commander. W. W. Stone, who was ship's writer on board the cruiser Colorado when Admiral Dewey and Commodore Watson were lieutenant-commanders on that vessel, can tell many stories about those two celebrities. Admiral Golds- borough was in command of the Colorado. His valet, John, who at one time was President Lincoln's servant, was a witty but bungling Irishman. 'Stone's best story centres around this quaint character. One morning Admiral Goldsborough sent down word to John that he wanted his glass, meaning, of course, his spyglass. John, as usual, however, misunderstood, and came tramping up the bridge with a goblet in his hand. " John, you're the devil's own valet," growled the admiral when he saw him coming. " Faith, sor, I didn't think I'd come to that same whin I tuk service wid ye, sor." " Throw that blamed goblet overboard and go and get me my spyglass, as I told you, you infernal idiot ! " " Yes, sor," said John, calmly tossing the glass over the side, and in doing so narrowly escaped dashmg it upon the upturned face of our executive officer, Lieutenant-Commander George Dewey. Mr. Dewey was on a tour of inspection, circling the frigate in one of the cutters. The Colorado had just arrived from Trieste. The passage down the Adriatic Sea had been a stormy one, and the painstaking executive wanted to see for himself how the old ship looked after her battle with the waves. "Go below, you Blundering Irishman." It was a lovely Spring Sunday morning. We had dropped anchor in the beautiful Bay of Naples, and I had crept up into the mizzen-top to drink in with boyish zest the delights of our glorious surroundings. Off our beams lay Ischia and Capri, standing like stern Roman sentinels, on guard at the horns of the bay. Ahead lay the Campanila ; from its centre rises old Vesuvius, from whose grim apex I could see floating upward a hazy wreath significant of the unrest beneath. I watched the old admiral with a great deal of interest ; had I been a kodak fiend I should, then and there, have for- feited my appointment by taking a snapshot at the irate officer as he glared at the sleek, unconcerned menial. " Go below, you blundering Irishman, before I have you tossed over after the glass!" The man disappeared with just the suspicion of a smirk on his innocent-looking face. " Mr. Dewey would like to have you find out, sir, who is heaving rrock- DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 57 ery over the side of the ship, sir." This came from one of the crew of the cutter; he had come up with the order and spoke to Lieutenant-Commander John Crittenden Watson, at the time officer of the deck. The admiral over- heard the message of the angry executive and laughed quietly. "Tell Mr. Dewey that it was the admiral, my man," said he, soberly; then turning to Mr, Watson he remarked : " He can't very well put the admi- ral in the brig, though I may deserve it." " He may look around for a substitute, admiral," answered Mr. Watson, smiling. "Oh, no, Dewey has too keen a sense of justice; besides, I remembe» him saying once that he had no use for substitutes," Dignity Assailed by a Tumbler. A few minutes after this Mr. Dewey himself came over the starboard gangway, saluting the admiral with rather a haughty air. You see, a ten- pounder may spin merrily past a fellow's head aboard a man-o'-war, and serve merely as a hook on which to hang the old-time jest about a " miss being as good as a mile," but when a plain matter-of-fact, plebeian tumbler shoots past you, contrary to the articles of war, and in direct violation of established naval etiquette, the circumstance that you have escaped mutilation is only an excrescence alongside of the glaring fact that your dignity has been ver>' vio- lently assaulted. The admiral looked down and took in the situation. Descending to the quarterdeck he approached Dewey and said with a fricrwdly air : " I say, Dewey, did you ever read ' Handy Andy ? ' " "Yes, sir," rather shortly. " Well, now, I must have his cousin aboard ;" and the admiral related the glass incident. The two laughed over the blunder, Mr. Dewey having recovered his usual good nature by this time. " You see, Dewey, I have a sort of interest in the fellow; the secretary recommended him to me as a good, faithful serving man ; he had been attached to Mr. Lincoln as his personal attendant, and I took the scamp partly on that account. Ah, here he comes at last with my glass. John, did Mr. Lincoln ever score you for your awkwardness ? " " No, sor, he niver did ; many the time he tould me that it wor a mercy that we were thegither, because, said he, his mind were taken off affairs of state by thinking did he wurruk harder tcllin' me how to do things than if he wint and did them himself." " Doubtless, doubtless," said the admiral, laughing. " I want you to remember, John," said Mr. Dewey, severely, " that it ic 58 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. strictly against the rules of this ship to throw anything over the sides. You came very near striking me in the head with your glass-tossing." " That were a pity, sor." " A pity ! " exclaimed Dewey, savagely, " by Jim, I'd have come up and had you strung up at the mainyard arm, like a dog." " No, sor, axin' yer pardon, I hope not." " What's that ? " roared the admiral, angrily. " Throth, sor, d'ye mind, the mornin' tellin' me that ye was to do the thinkin' an' I was to obey orders, even if I bruk owners ? " Another Anecdote of Dewey. The two laughed heartily at this hit, and John went below with flying colors. " I was with Commodore Dewey when he was the executive officer of the Colorado," said a financier, " and I remember one incident which shows the manner of man he is. We had a fine crew, some of them as powerful men as I ever saw. Four or five of them went ashore one day and came back fighting drunk. " The order was given to put them in irons, and it was found impossible to carry out the order, for the men were dangerous. Dewey was notified of the situation. He was writing a letter in his room at the time. " He went to the place where these giants were, and he told them to tfome out and submit to the irons. They did not stir. Then Dewey said quietly to an orderly: 'Bring me my revolvers.' And when he had his pistols he again called upon the men to come out and they did not move. Then he said : ' I am going to count three, if you are not out here with your hands held up on the third count you won't come out of that place alive.' " He counted one, then he cocked the revolvers, and counted two. We all expected to bef?r the report, for we knew that Dewey meant what he said. The men kne'v it, too. They stepped out just in time to save their lives and held up their hands, and they had been partially sobered by their fright and the moral effect of Dewey's glance. " One of them said afterward that when he saw Dewey's eyes he knew that he would either be a dead jackey in a moment or he would have to yield, and when the irons were put upon him he was as sober as he ever was in his life. Dewey went back to his room and finished the letter he was writing." In 1867 he was attached to the Naval Academy on shore duty, which position he retained until 1870. He was then transferred to the Narragansett of which ship he had charge for five years. During that time he rose to the position of commander. DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 5g In 1876 came his shore duty again, and Ii : was attached to the Light- house Board, and in 18S2 he went on sea duty in the Asiatic Squadron as commander of the Juanita. Other commanders envied him his next posi- tion, for he was made captain of the Dolphin. This boat was the first vessel of O'jr new navy and was built in 1884 and used as a coast dispatch boat. He only remained here a year, however, before he was transferred to the 'Pensacola, tiie flagship of the European Squadron. One interesting story is' told of him while in command of that vessel. While the boat was at Malta a number of sailors went on shore and engaged in a street brawl. Ar alarm was turned in, but the navvies succeeded in escaping to their ships. The next morning the captain of the port came out to the Pensacola to complain to Captain Dewey of the actions of his sailors. " What can I do ? " asked Dewey. " Why, your men raised a riot on shore, and you can assist me in arrest- ing and punishing them," was the reply. The American captain was very courteous in the expression of regret that sailors of the Pensacola should be lawless when on shore leave, but could see no way in which he might assist his visitor in searching out the guilty ones. The reply of the naval officer angered the redcoat, who said, somewhat peremptorily : " You certainly can parade your crew before me in order that the rioters may be identified." Looking aloft and pointing to the Stars and Stripes waving at the mast- head, Dewey made reply: " The deck of this vessel is United States territory, and I'll parade my men for no foreigner that ever drew breath." Chief of the Bureau of Equipment. Dewey remained in command of the European Squadron until 1888, when he was again transferred to shore duty. His first assignment was as chief of the Bureau of Equipment ; then he served on the Lighthouse Board, and then, in 1896, he was made commodore. Under this title he was placed at the head of the Inspection Board. Commodore Dewey's health in the summer of 1897 was not very good. It was never of the best, and when on shore duty the fearful heat of this summer prostrated him. He was fast approaching the age limit for active service in the navy and was getting very much shattered by the continued shore duty, as his presence was constantly demanded by his position on the Inspection Board, "Just take one more cruise," urged his friends. "The limit of service will soon be over, and if you take one more cruise in healthful waters you may recover your health entirely." That Dewey made this cruise we all 60 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. know, but the reasons for this cruise, the methods and manner of getting it are very interesting stories to liste;. to among naval circles and down in Washington. It is hard to tell whicA is the true story, but every one has a different side to tell why Dewey went to China. Some say his assignment to the Asiatic squadron was for the reason just given, that his health was very poor and his time limit for active service so close at hand that four years on the water would do him good. Others say that Dewey's position was wanted by other men in the ser- vice, who were thought to be stronger, more determined in action, more bril- liant in daring. The winter of 1897-98 was as filled with rumors of war as the year '60, when he went into the navy. There wasn't a commander who did not think that the bulk of the war would lie on the Atlantic Coast, and that great things would be done there with the Atlantic squadron. Dewey was very high in command, yet he was sick and nearly out of the service. The younger ones and more impetuous ones wanted to be made commanders and admirals themselves, and, so it is said that out of all the talking and prospecting the Navy Department was prevailed upon to send Commodore Dewey to a safe and far-away spot, where his few ships would be out of danger's way, in the background and out o^ the way of men who wanted to succeed him. Assigned to the Asiatic Squadron. These are rumors, all of them, but, if so, it is a delightful trick of fate that helped Admiral Dewey to win, for it breaks a man's heart to be sent away from the fire line in time of war. Roxane was full of subtle knowledge when she persuaded the French commander to leave Cyrano de Begerac in the background, when the others went to war ; but, " Man proposes and God disposes," as runs the old proverb, and if Dewey was sent to the back- ground by forethought, his was an admiral victory over human intelligence. There is another story which has more likelihood in it than this rumor, and comes with higher authority. It is this: Dewey's assignment to the Asiatic squadron was opposed by many who were high enough to keep him on shore duty, but Senator Redfiekl Proctor, who was a life-long friend of Dewey's, saw to it that the commodore got the cruise which his health seemed to need very badly. He had a very difficult operation performed at ! this time, and Senator Proctor so presented the case to President McKinley, and made of it so personal a request, that the administration assigned the commodore to the squadron then at Hong Kong. During his life in Washington Commodore Dewey lived the role of a man of the world and of atfairs. Being a widower he spent much of his timp DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 61 at the club, and was known to be an exquisite in dress and a man who paid 'he greatest attention to the forms and rules of society. His grooming was ^o perfect that his friends in the Army and Navy Corps always referred to him good naturedly as " Dewey the Dude." They did not mean for a mo. ment that he was what the word " dude " really signifies to us, for with Anglo-Saxons it is a term of contempt. He did not dress in loud clothes or extreme fashions, but he always looked as he did when a boy: just been unwrapped from tissue paper. A Social Lion in WasMngton. He went out socially in Washington a great deal, and was an honored guest at the most exclusive houses. Not only his rank as commander in the navy entitled him to the first invitations of the capital, but added to this dis- tinction he was a member of one of the first families of Vermont. He would have had the most exclusive doors of society opened to him had he been only a plain civilian. He was a member of the fashionable Metropolitan Club; was very fond of horses, a splendid whip, and loved his thoroughbreds as some men love their children. Whenever they had arrived at the age limit of active service he mustered them out with honor, and gave them a field of clover and good attention for the rest of their lives. He was always consid- ered a man of the world by those who knew him, and it was only through one of his boyhood friends that his real aversion to society was told. " George Dewey," said this man, " dislikes society in its ordinaiy sense very much. I have known him ever since he was a boy in knickerbockers^ Then he was shy, not fond of the girls and easily embarrassed. He is no; any more fond of the women to-day as a man than he was of the girls as a young boy, nor does he care for the round of social gayeties any more than he did in the early days in Montpelier, when wild horses could not drag him to a dance, church festival, or any merrymaking. Yet Dewey has gained the reputation of being a great social man because one sees him at every high social function in Washington, and in foreign capitals. He goes because it is his idea of duty. He does not want to go to anything social, but he goes because he is invited. He thinks if any one is kind enough to invite him it is his courtesy to respond to that invitation in person. He has the highest sense of duty of any man I ever knew, and carries it into the smallest details of his life. " Where other men who arc more used to society, and are not in the least shy, say, ' I won't go to this or that or the other thing, because it is too slow,* or ' I don t like the people,' or ' There is no fun to be had there,' or ' They are not worth while/ Dewey had no such reasons. He simply puts on his dress 62 DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. suit and goes. He may stay but a minute or he may stay the whole evening if he finds the hostess gives him the wall flowers and dowagers to take care of. He always got along with the older women because they did not expect hin? to talk much. " My own impression is that Dewey also dislikes as much as the rest oi us to be continually dressing and keeping immaculate, but he considers it his duty. It is this same conception of his social obligations which leads him into the reputation he has gotten in Manila of going everywhere and always being perfectly dressed, even in the heat of battle, and of being punctilious in returning and paying calls due to his position, " A man who is not shy would not care socially whether he did the right thing or not. He would do it under certain regulations, but he would take social life more easily and ignore it when he stayed at home, not caring what people thought, but George Dewey is sensitive and he would not have people think him rude for anything in the world. But he knew how to cut the cable when he did not want to talk. That is another pretty good instance of Dew- ey's character. " I doubt very much," concluded his friend, " if he said twenty-five words during the battle of Manila. One of the things which is reported of him sounds as much like him as possible ; I could just hear him saying it. It was when the great tumbling shells came over the Olympia and the men on the upper deck, those who were nervous, ducked their heads as the roaring things came tumbling through the air, rebounding from the surface of the water. The Admiral stood erect on the bridge, never moving an eyelash, as he turned to the dodging men and said, with a smile : ' Don't dodge, boys ; they can't hurt you after they've passed.' " Ordered, to Destroy the Spanish Fleet. Commodore Dewey received his appointment from shore duty to the Pacific Squadron in January, 1898. He went at once aboard the Olympia, his flagship, stationed then at Hong Kong, China. Only a few weeks after this transferral there came the declaration of war between Spain and the United States. At once he was cabled the most momentous message he had ever received. It was from Mr. Long, Secretary of the Navy, and read: "Destroy or capture the Spanish fleet." War was declared on Monday ; Dewey's fleet sailed from the Chinese roadstead for Manila on Wednesday. It was the greatest summons of his life. The long-ago order from Far-' ragut, which had sent him following the Admiral's flag up the Mississippi River, was as great a nerve-thrilling experience, but there he followed ■ ihia day he was to lead. DEWEY'S FIRST BATTLE. 68 Who can tell what thoughts go through the brain of a man who knows the eyes of his country and the world are upon him for defeat or victory at a cer- tain hour? The best answer is probably the one made by a man experienced to danger and responsibility, that he is not thinking of anything except jus how to manage and organize that particular hour. The man who stops to think how he shall look before the world is lost. False Estimates of Men. It is very easy to get a wrong estimate of men and give them less credit for powers they really possess than belongs to them. We size a man up and perhaps set him down as rather weak and insignificant. Who- can tell the kind of stuff any man is made of until the crisis hour comes and he is compelled to act ? Those who knew George Dewey in his early life did not predict for him a career so illustrious. But Napoleon said, " The test of a gun is that it shoots." After we see what a man can do we are compelled to form an estimate of what the man is himself It is only just to say that after Dewey's heroic deeds under Admiral Farragut the prediction that he would rise to the highest position if the occa- sion was offered, must have been made by every thoughtful person who studied the make-up of the man. As to his always being well dressed and showing himself to be a stickler for the rules and customs of polite society, there is a certain cultured and dignified element among our people who will rather commend this and look with contempt upon those who belittle it. They might call him " Dewey the Dude," but he was not afraid of getting his clothes soiled at Manila. CHAPTER V. Story of Admiral Dewey's Magnificent Victory as Told in "The Bounding Billow," Official Organ of the Fleet. §T may surprise some of our readers to be informed that a part of the equipment of some of the ships which took part in the battle of Manila was a full set of type, a ^>rinting press, and men who could do the type-setting and press-work. One of the men on Dewey's flagship Olympia published from time to time a paper entitled The Bounding Billow, which contained a full record of all the happenings on board the various ships of the fleet. This is a fine evidence of the intelligence and education that characterize the men who enter the American Navy. They are something more than mere machines. They are intelligent, brainy men who are not more remark- able for their patriotism than they are for their hard sense, their tact and the ability they possess to do everything that needs to be done on board a man- of-v/ar. The majority of the officers of our Navy are cultured men. They enjoyed good educational advantages in early life, and of course in order to graduate from the Naval Academy they must have been good scholars in many of the branches taught in our best universities. The intelligence that characterizes the men who compose our Navy accounts largely for our wonderful success in the Spanish-American War. Napoleon I. said, " Ideas rule the world." We certainly had an illustration of this in the superb achievement of our navy at Santiago and in Manila Bay. Our men were quick to think and equally quick to plan and execute. They could take advantage of every situation. Our gunners could shoot and our officers could command. There was something more than blind courage ; there was always intelligent action. Speaking of the paper published on board the flagship Olympia, the reader will find a special interest in the following graphic account of the battlft of Manila taken from the pages of The Bounding Billow. We insert the de- scription of Dewey's superb victory just as we find it in the page.n of that publication. It was written on board the flagship by the editor, who had every oppor- tunity to take in the whole situation, and his account can therefore be de- pended upon as reliable ; it is the description of men in the battie. 4 J3 = J- Hi -I - s O i ^ cc £ = D r- ;- CO il u = _ I- i-i < ^ = J- ^H Wei; Q =■ = 111 ~ i t "S - 2 -^ J:; => -4 c = E c I! 33 SIGHTING A HOTGHKISS REVOLVING GUN ■^ HOTCHKISS QUICK FIRING 0"NS IN THE MILITARY MAST SINGLE STICK EXERCISE GROUP OF OLDEST BLUEJACKETS TRAIMINQ A 15-INCH QUN TAKING SOU DINOS OR HEAVINO THE LEAD NAVAL MANCEUVRES-TORPEDO PRACTICE • IN THE SEA-BOATS, LAYING BY THE -ARGET: THE TORPEDO FINISHES ITS RUN BY .EAPING INTO THE AIR. 2. THE MIDDY AND THE COXWAIN IN THE SEA-BOAT 3. BRINGING THE TORPEDO ALONGSIDE. MAJOR GENERAU WESLEY MERRITT 1. A FILIPINO VILLAGE NEAR MANILA: TROOPS DRILLING IN THE MAIN STREET. 2. OUT- POSTS IN TOUCH: AMERICAN ON THE NEAR SIDE OF THE BRIDGE, FILIPINO BEYOND. %. A SPANISH FORT AT MANILA. 4. AT CAVITE : A SPANISH OUN-BOAT. GENERAL OTIS 90MMANDER OF THE American Forces in the Philippine Islands < I O I z < Q < O CD a o I CO DC UJ GO < m UJ I z H q: LU I I- o z < < CO LU o < O < CO B u CO < o O m oc < I liJ I 1- > oc O H O z < o tr LU < LU CC o ''■^ THE DEWEY SWORD THE GIFT OF THE NATION TO ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY, U. S. N., IN MEMORY OF THE VICTORY AT MANILA BAY, MAY 18T, 1898 HADE BY TIFFAhy A CO., NEW tOBK ^^9-- X ADMIRAL GEORGE DEWEY ^ 7 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. (i'j THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY rilE U. S. FLEET GAINS A DECISIVE VICTORY OVER THE SPANIARDS — NOT A MAN KILLED AMONG THE AMERICANS. The U. S. Fleet consisting of the Olynipia (Flagship), Boston, Raleigh, Baltimore, Concord, Petrel, McCuUoch (Dispatch boat) and the transports, Nanshan, and Zafiro (merchant steamers carrying coal for the fleet) left Mirs TURRET OF A UNITED STATEiJ BATTLESHIP. Bay, China, April 27th, 1898, for Manila, Philippine Islands, to engage th Spanish Fleet stationed there. The ships made a very warlike and imposing picture as they steamed out of the harbor in three columns, with all colors flying, bent on their dire and fateful errand. A looker on would have thought that the ships were merely going on a pleasure trip judging by the happy and careless demeanor of the crews; but unless they have experienced it, they would never guess the strain that the cincertainty of whether we were really going to war or not, was on the nerves 5-D 66 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. of these men who had almost nothing to divert their minds. Once the suspense was relieved, however, and a definite move made, there was a com- plete change and they went about their different tasks as blithesome and gay as if it were extended leave instead of grim war. The second day out the following intellectual abortion was posted on the bulletin board. For arrogance and conceit it certainly caps the climax ; for a sample of ignorance and idiocy it is unsurpassable. , A Spaniard's Boastful Proclamation. The following high-sounding Proclamation was issued by the Governor- General of the Philippines : — " Spaniards : Between Spain and the United States of North America hostilities have broken out. The moment has arrived to prove to the world that we possess the spirit to conquer those who, pretending to be loyal friends, take advantage of our misfortunes and abuse our hospitality, using means which civilized nations count unworthy and disreputable. " The North American people, constituted of all the social excrescences, have exhausted our patience and provoked war with their perfidious machina- tions, with their acts of treachery, and with their outrages against the laws of nations and international treaties. "The struggle will be short and decisive. The God of victories will give us one as complete as the righteousness and justice of our cause demands. Spain, which counts upon the sympathies of all the nations, will emerge triumphant from this new test, humiliating and blasting the adven- turers from those States that, without cohesion and without a history, offer to humanity only infamous traditions and the spectacle of a Congress in which appear united insolence and defamation, cowardice and cynicism. " A squadron manned by foreigners, possessing neither instruction nor discipline, is preparing to come to this archipelago with the ruffianly inten- tion of robbing us of all that means life, honor and liberty. Pretending to be inspired by a courage of which they are incapable, the North American seamen undertake as an enterprise capable of realization the substitution of ^Protestantism for the Catholic religion you profess, to treat you as tribes ^refractory to civilization, to take possession of your riches as if they were unacquainted with the rights of property, and to kidnap those persons whom they consider useful to man their ships or to be exploited in agricultural or industrial labor! " Vain designs ! Ridiculous boastings ! Your indomitably bravery will suffice to frustrate the attempt to carry them into realization. You will no^ consent that they shall profane the faith that you profess, that impious foot STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 67 steps shall defile the temple of the true God, nor that unbelief shall dcstro)' the holy images which you adore. The aggressors shall not profane the tombs of your fathers, they shall not gratify their lustful passions at the cost of your wives and daughters' honor, nor appropriate the property which your industry has accumulated to assure your livelihood, No, they shall not per- petrate any of these crimes inspired by their wickedness and covetousness, because your valor and patriotism will suffice to punish and abase the people that, claiming to be civilized and cultivated, have exterminated the natives of North America instead of bringing to them the life of civilization and progress. " Philippinos, prepare for the struggle and, united under the glorious fla^ of Spain, which is ever covered with laurels, let us fight with the con- viction that victory will crown our efforts, and to the summons of our enemies let us oppose with the decision of the Christian and tne patriot the cry of * Viva Espana.' " Your General, " Basilio Agustin y Davila." A Pithy and Convincing Answer. This unjust and cowardly manifesto aroused the anger and indignation of every man in the fleet, and many were the subterranean growls and the learned General would have fared badly had he been at hand. The following speech was made by the Editor (being the literary organ and representative, in answer to the foregoing proclamation. " Shipmates : You all no doubt, have seen and read the rank and cowardly attack, made by the Spanish governor of Manila on the Glorious Flag and Country we serve. "In it he questions our bravery, our birth-rights, the honesty of our government and claims that we have no history! What do the acts of our forefathers represent? What was the glorious fight they made for independ- ence in the war of '76, when father and son left their plow in the furrow and shouldered their muskets for liberty, while wives, mothers and daughters cheered them on to victory? What was the war of 181 2 and the Mexican war? History all, and honorable unstained history at that ! "What does he mean by saying we are ' a cowardly nation?' 'Old Glory,' the dear old flag we serve and love, harbors no cowards. Where- ever seen it is recognized as the emblem of freedom and honor, the standard of a nation of heroes, and though he may prate and proclaim from now until 'hades freezes over,' he will never make any but the most benighted or bigoted believe that he is even sane. ''The sight of Our Flag is like a breath of pure, fresh air. Its very colors are significant ; the red is emblematic of the blood of heroes shed in 68 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. the defense of our country ; the white the purity of our aims and objects, and the star-spangled blue the Heaven we look to for guidance and strength. " Then this Spanish Solomon goes on to inform the brave muchachos under his sovereign command, that we are a gang of cut-throat Protestant heretics who will convert them ' willy nilly ' into a belief in our faith ; that we are marauders and thieves; that we are the scourings off the earth's gutters, ' social excrescences ' (soft impeachment,) and lastly that we had veritably driven them on to war, manufacturing causes and insulting then? because we knew, or rather, thought they were weak. Barbarities Practiced by Spain. " Shipmates, you all know what has brought on this war. The bar- barous inhumanities practiced by them in the Island of Cuba, right before our eyes. Old men and women cruelly tortured and slain, babes murdered on their mother's breasts, thousands of peaceful homes ruined and destroyed by these Spanish fiends, the dear old Stars and Stripes trampled in the mud of Spanish streets, and last, worst of all, the tragedy that has been too lately enacted to be forgotten, the destruction of the Maine, when brothers, friends and shipmates were foully murdered through Spanish treachery and hatred, an act that has won for Spain the aversion of all civilized nations. These acts have brought on the war. Acts the wildest savage would disdain, crimes that none but the lowest of Lucifer's emissaries would commit. It is to avenge these wrongs, to give blessed liberty to an oppressed and down- trodden nation, and to uphold the honor of our country that we are going to war with Spain. The Governor says the Spanish flag is covered with laurels ; perhaps, but they are laurels of infamy. " Fellow patriots, when the hour arrives we will one and all gladly lay down our lives for the dear flag and beloved country that has never had one stain to blemish the purity of its escutcheon. I know of no words that will appeal more forcibly to your hearts than those of the ' Patriot Poet ' Holmes in the beautiful poem, — THE FLOWER OF FREEDOM. " What flower is this, that greets the morn, Its hues from Heaven so freshly born, With burning star and flaming band It kindles all the sunset land, O ! tell me what its name may be ? It is the ' Flower of Liberty ! ''Behold its streaming rays unite, One mingling flood of braided light. STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. W The red that fires the southern rose With spotless white, from northern snows, While spangled o'er its azure, see The sister stars of liberty ! The blades of heroes fence it round, Where e'er it springs is holy ground, It makes the land, as ocean free, And plants an empire, on the sea. *' Thy sacred folds, fair freedom's flower, Shall ever float from dome and tower, To all their heavenly colors true In blackening frost or crimson dew. O ! land where thy banners wave last in the sun. Blazoned with star clusters, many in one ! Waving o'er mountain and prairie and sea, Hark ! 'tis the voice of thy children to thee. Here at thine altar our vows we renew E'er in thy cause to be loyal and true, True to thy flag on the field and the wave. Living to honor it , dying to save. " Flag of the heroes, who left us their glory Borne through their battle field's thunder and flame. Blazoned in song and ilhimined in story, Waves o'er us all, who inherit their fame. Light of our firmament, guide of our nation, Pride of her children and honored afar, E'er the bright beams of thy full constellation. Shall scatter each cloud that would darken a star. "Yet if by madness or treachery blighted, Dawns the dark hour when the sword thou must draw Then with the arms of thy millions united. Smite the bold traitors to freedom and law. Lord of the Universe, shield us and guide us, Trusting thee always through shadow and sun. Thou hast united us; who shall divide us? Keep us ! O keep us ! The ' Many in One.' Up with our banner bright, Spangled with starry light ; Spread its fair emblems from mountain to shore, While thro' the sounding sky, Loud rings the nation's cry, Union and Liberty ! One evermore I " "0 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. "And now shipmates, when we get to Manila and meet the Spanish murderers, let our battle cry b<_, — " Remember the Mai?ie Afid down with Spain ! " About two o'clock Saturday morning land was sighted, and at daylight we were close on the coast of the enemy's country. We kept about five or six miles from the coast line, keeping a bright look out for men-o'-war or other craft of the enemy. During the morning the Boston and Concord were sent a-head to reconnoiter Subig Bay, as it was rumored that there were two men-o'-war there. Later we sighted a couple of fishing sehooners. The transport Zafiro was sent to board one. They informed the officer that there were only two gunboats in Manila Harbor. We knew they were lying, but allowed them to proceed without molestation. In the afternoon the light house on Cape Bolinao was sighted, and the Baltimore was sent ahead to reconnoiter. When the fleet reached Subig Bay the Baltimore was close in shore while the Boston and Concord were stand- ing out toward us. They had seen nothing of the enemy. The fleet then formed \\\ column again and proceeded for Manila. Danger from Mines and Torpedoes. It was Commodore Dewey's intention to pass the large fort on Corregidor Island, twenty- six miles from Manila, about midnight if possible, without being seen. It was a bold move and certainly deserved the success that crowned it, for there was great danger of mines and torpedoes being placed in the entrance, to say nothing of the guns on the forts. The harbor had in fact been considered impregnable and no doubt it was, but not against Yankee grit and daring. At about midnight we were standing up Manila Bay at a speed of four knots. We had been in hopes that the moon would go down as its light was rather annoying to our hopes of entering undiscovered, but he seemed determined to stay out and see the fun. The guns were all manned and kept trained on the fort, while eyes and ears were strained watching and waiting for the shot that would indicate our discovery. Cor- regidor fort was on our left while another battery somewhat further in was on our right hand. On board the ships everything was quiet, and nothing could be heard but the officers giving the range in whispers and the monotonous swash swash, of the water. The strain was terrible, and not one of the men that manned that fleet will ever forget the morning of the " First of May." FORM OF APPOINTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY, MADE AT CAVITE IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, AND SIGNED BY CAPTAIN LAMBERTOW, CHIEF OF STAFF TO ADMIRAL DEWEY. n 7£ STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. Suddenly a flash of light was seen on the fort on Corregidor. The men hold their breath waiting the report, but it was only a rocket. Soon another goes up, a light on shore flashes out signals, another on the other side and we know we are seen. It is afterwards rumored that two torpedoes had been fired at us, but they did not have range enough to reach us. At seventeen minutes past twelve the battery on our right opened fire, the shell passing between the Olympia and Baltimore. The Raleigh answered immediately. Another shot between the Concord and Boston was answered by the latter and the McCulloch. The McCulloch then turned back to look after the transports. The Flagship signaled to the McCulloch, " Are you all right? " McCulloch answered " O. K." It was too dark for the Boston and Raleigh to locate the batteries, so they ceased firing. None of the ships were struck. Ready for the Opening Signal. About 3.20 word was passed to " lay by your guns and take it easy." Some of the men " lay," but " taking it easy " was out of the question. The decks were sprinkled with sand, and it would get into eyes, ears and nose, scratch the skin, and occasionally some one would stroll over your recumbent form, as leisurely as if on parade, for all lights were out and the decks were as dark as Erebus. At four o'clock, cofiee was served out and the stillness was broken by the clashing of bowls and the merry laughter occasioned by collisions in the dark. Everybody was as happy as though on an excursion, jokes and witty stories were going the rounds, while every once in a awhile soxnQ pensive nightingull rfo\x\d strike up the affecting song "Just Before the Battle, Mother," until some one spilled a bowl of " boot-leg " over him and quieted him for a few minutes. The men were all in " war-clothes " (which consisted of almost nothing) and despite the joking and laughing, the determined gleam in their eyes showed that they meant business and were there to " do or die." We were standing in toward the city to reconnoiter. Several foreign sailing vessels were laying off Manila, but no men-o'-war could be seen. At twelve minutes to five we broke " Old Glory " at the mast-heads and gaff and were saluted with a ten-inch shell from a battery on the south bastion of the city. This fort kept up a continual fire, but all the shots fell short. We did not return their fire, but headed in for the Navy Yard at Cavite, The Spanish fleet were sighted at seven minutes to five. They were laying in line from Sangley Point to Las Pinas across Cavite and Canacao Bays. Their right flank was protected by Cavite peninsula on which was mounted a very heavy battery. The left flank reached to the shoal part of the Bay near Las Pinas. STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 73 The Spanish vessels were further protected by a huge boom covered with chains, Hghters filled with stones and water, covering the water lines. The Reina Cristina was standing off the left flank of the line, and had the Spanish Rear Admiral Montojo y Pasaron on board. At 5.35 the ball was opened by the batteries on SangU-y Point and a shell fell near the Olympia. The American fleet then advanced to the attack, >the flagship leading. Commodore Dewey personally directed the movements of the squadron from the forward bridge. The Captain directed the firing while the Captains in command of the other vessels handled their respective ships with a dexterity that was little short of marvelous. ''The Men Behind the Guns." At 5.38 the Reina Cristina opened fire followed by the rest of the Spanish fleet. At 5.55 the American fleet began firing, and a rapid fire was kept up by the entire fleet during the engagement. A torpedo boat came out about ten minutes past six and endeavored to place itself in the track 0} the Olympia, but was driven ashore by the rapid-fire guns. Another boat came out and fired a torpedo which passed across the bow of the McCulloch,. but did no damage. Before the boat could escape it was struck by so many shots that nothing was left of it but smoke. There were several torpedo attacks made on the other vessels, but luckily all were eflectualy repulsed or blown up. This was mainly due to the good marksmanship of the " men behind the guns." The American fleet steamed along the entire length of the Spanish line at distances varying from 5600 to 1500 yards. The order was given to fire on the arsenal in Cavite, and a well-directed shot from an eight-inch gun sent it up in smoke. This was at 6.45 and our fleet had just made the first round. We passed the line of ships and forts five times, three times from the east- ward and twice from the westward. On the second round from the westward the Spanish Admiral made a desperate effort to get outside the boom, but received a concentrated fire from the fleet. His ship caught fire and he transferred his flag to the Castilla, first hauling down the colors on the Reina Cristina. The American ships then stopped firing at the latter and kept a continual storm of steel raining on the enemy's other ships and forts. The Don Antonio de Ulloa also made a desperate but futile attempt to get out. She went down with her colors flying at her peak until the Petrel lowered a boat and cut them away. The flag was presented to Commodore Dewey. In the meantime the Spanish Admiral returned to the Rein^ Cristina, the Castilla being in a sinking condition. The Spanish fought ver* 74 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. courageously, many of them going down fighting their guns until the last. Even amidst the horrors and cruelties of war, one cannot help remarking and admiring the valor of these heroes, Spaniards and enemies though they be. It was on this round that the Boston stood like a fort for ten minutes firing as fast as they could load and aim, receiving the concentrated fire of all the Spanish ships. The Olympia was twice hulled, but the shells did not penetrate sufficiently to do much damage. Although shot and shell rained thick around her she was struck but eight times, and miraculous though it) may be, not a man was injured. The other ships in the fleet thought the Flagship was sinking, for all that could be seen of her was a cloud of smoke and jets of flame bursting through. One shot struck the Baltimore in the starboard waist just abaft one of the 6 inch guns. It passed through the hammock netting, exploded a couple of 3 pounder shells, wounding six men, then across the deck striking the cyhnder of a gun making it temporarily useless, then running around the shield it spent itself between two ventilators just forward of the engine room hatch. The shell is in possession of the Captain. The other vessels also, with the exception of the Concord and Petrel, were struck several times. Our Fleet Makes Havoc of the Foe. At about half past-seven the Spanish fire slackened. The Reina Cristina was on fire and sinking, the Castilla was sunk and many others were afire and crippled. The fort on the mole at Pasig River had ceased firing. At 7.56 we stood off shore for the middle of the bay, the batteries in the forts on Sangley Point, along the beach of Cavite and on the south bastion of Manila kept up a continuous but ineffective fire. The crews had breakfast and a rest which they certainly needed, though they were every one anxious to continue and have it out. The batteries on Cavite kept up a continual fire, but the range was too long and they did no further damage than to waste their ammunition, A conference of Commanders was held on board the Flagship, and at 10.15 the fleet stood in to silence the batteries. The Baltimore led, Olympia followed close behind while the Raleigh and Boston formed on the right flank. The Concord and Petrel diverged to the left and manoeuvered to get behind the point on which the forts were situated. The two leading vessels steamed in bows on, and when about 1500 yards from the batteries opened fire with their large guns. As the Boston and Raleigh came up the Flagship drew back while the Baltimore remained stationary, delivering shot after shot with such telling effect that in twenty minutes she silenced the two most dangerous guns. HONORABLE DISCHARGE FROM THE UNITED STATES NAVY OF COXSWAIN CAR iLOLL,WHO WAS IN THE BATTLE OF MANILA MAY IST; ALSO AT THE BOM- BARDMENT OF MANILA AUGUST 13TH, AND SIGNED BY CAPTAIN COGHLAN, COMMANDER OF THE SALEIGH. 76 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIR The Boston and Raleigh steamed along the point, delivering broadsides as they went at the remaining fort on Sangley Point. In the meantime the brave little battle-ships Petrel aud Concord steamed in behind the point and attack'id the forts from the rear, utterly demoralizing the Spaniards. The Concord fired a few shots at the transport Midanao which had been run on the shoals off Las Pinas, and after being assured that there was no life on board set the vessel on fire. At twenty minutes past twelve a white flag went up near Cavite and the bombardment ceased. The Petrel was sent up the Ciran River to destroy the gunboats that had retreated there. The Boston and Concord remained off the Navy Yard while the rest of the fleet proceeded to the city to silence the fort there, that had been so per- sistent in making itself heard. Just as we got in range they ran up the " white flag," and when the sun set that night its last rays rested like a benediction on " Old Glory " waving proudly from mast head and peak of Uncle Sam's doughty arbitrators. How the Victory was Won. Superior tactical knowledge and calm calculations, superior gunnery and coolness together with Yankee daring won the day. The next day the Petrel went into the bay and brought out a number of steam launches, two tugs and a couple of small boats, which were distributed amon^ the fleet. The surrender of all the vessels of war, forts and arsenals in the bay was demanded and given. The surrender of the city was delayed until the authorities at Washington were heard from. Apothecaries, nurses and detachments of men were sent on shore to assist in caring for and transporting the wounded to the hospitals, and bury- ing the dead. The effect of our deadly fusillade was simply frightful, the dead and wounded strewing the grounds and buildings like leaves in autumn. One of the wounded from the Reina Cristina could speak very good English, having been in America some time, but on returning to his native land on a visit had been impressed in the service. He had both legs .shot away. He stated that nearly all the vessels had double crews, many of them being volunteers from among the citizens, that the number of deaths would never be known. He also said that no sooner had a gun been loaded than a storm of projectiles would sweep away the gun's crew. At the time the Spanish Admiral tried to get his ship out he received such a terrible fire that the deck was one mass of bursting shell. The captain, he said, was killed almost at the first discharge. STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 77 The Spanish Fleet Consisted of the Following Named Vessels : t Rcina Cristina. (Flagship.) .... Cruiser X Castilla " t Don Antonio de Ulloa " t Don Juan de Austria " t Isla de Cuba " t Isla de Luzon " X General Lezo Gunboat. t Marquis del Ducro " X Elcano " t Velasco " t Argus " X Isla de Mindanao Transport. Manila " Vessels sunk are marked thus (f). Vessels burnt are marked thus (I). The Luzon, Cuba, Duero, Lezo, Austria and Elcano are sunk in the mouth of Cinar River. The transport Manila, the armed tug Barcelo with a large quantity of appurtenances for laying mines, several other armed tugs and launches were captured. Since the day of the engagement the American fleet have been busy destroying fortifications, ammunition and disarming the hulks of the Spanish ships. Jolly Music During the Fight. An amusing incident which occurred during the heat of the engagement will show what an utter disregard the men had for the seriousness of the occasion. It was on board the Raleigh, two shellmen, both fair amateur musicians, would snatch moments between hustling anununition to take, one the guitar, the other a violin, and strike up the inspiring tune " There'll be a Hot Time in the Old Town To-night," while even the Captain could not refrain from laughing at the ludicrousness of the scene. That night the scene was awful, but grand. The blaze from the burning vessel threw their lurid glare over the rack and ruin ashore and the wreck, afloat, while occasionally a magazine would burst, like the eruption of ai volcano throwing its flaming debris high into the air, making a lurid picture of the horrors of modern warfare that made a lifelong impression on all that saw it. The following is the account of the battle taken from the daily paper published in Manila. To judge by the disconnected appearance of the article, the writer must have been viewing the engagement from a //;;«.- a/>/>/t' orcJuird 78 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. or some other place of safety a good many miles distant. However, we give the extract as it is and leave it to the judgment of our readers. {Translated from the Diario de Manila, May /fth, i8g8.) "A Naval Surprise. " When the enemy's squadron was sighted in perfect line of battle through the clouds of a misty dawn on the morning of the first of May, gloom and surprise were general among the people of Manila. At last these ships had strained their boldness to the point of appearing on our coasts and , defying our batteries, which showed more courage and valor than effect when they opened fire on the squadron. It needs something more than courage to make projectiles penetrate — indeed it does ! "Every Man to His Station. " The inequality of our batteries when compared with those of the squadron which alarmed the inhabitants of Manila at five o'clock in the morning was enough to transform the tranquil character of our tropical tem- peraments. " While ladies and children in carriages or on foot fled in fright to seek refuge in the outlying suburbs and adjacent villages around the Capital from danger multiplied by their imagination, every man from the stately personage to the most humble workman, merchants and mechanics, Spaniards and na- tives, soldiers and civilians, all, we repeat, sought their stations and put on their arms, confident that never should the enemy land in Manila unless he passed over their corpses. Yet from the first moment the strength of the enemy's armor and the power of his guns demonstrated that his ships were invulnerable to our energies and our armaments, the hostile squadron would never have entered our bay had not its surety been guaranteed by its manifest superiority. "Spectators and Observers. " The city walls, the church towers, the roofs of high buildings, and all high places convenient for observation were occupied by those who were not xetained by their military duties within the walls, on the bridges, or at the i'advanced posts. The slightest details of the enemy's ships were eagerly noted as they advanced towards Cavite in a line parallel with the beaches of Manila, as though they had just come out of the Pasig River. There were no gaps in the line, but the curious public hardly realized the disparity be- tween their great guns and the pieces mounted on our fortifications. Some had glasses and others were without ; but all seemed to devour with theif STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 79 eyes these strangers, who, while brave, were not called upon to show their courage, since the range of their guns and the weakness of our battcriea enabled them to preserve their impunity while doing us as much harm as they pleased. "Remarks of the People. " All who appreciated the impunity with which the hostile ships ma- nceuvred, as if on a harmless parade, were full of such rage and desperation as belongs to the brave man who can make no use of his courage ; to whom re- mains no remedy except an honorable death rather than a cowardly inactivity. "A soldier of the First Battalion of Cazadores gazed at the squadron sweeping over the waters out of reach of the fire of our batteries, looked out at the ships and then toward heaven, saying, 'If Holy Mary would turn that sea into land the Yankees would find out how we can charge in double time.' And a crouching native staring out at the ships said, ' Just let them come ashore and give us a whack at them.' On they stood at full speed in column of battle heading for Cavite with the decision due to a sense of safety and a firm assurance of success. "The Fight Seen from Manila. " For more than an hour and a half the bombardment held in suspense those whose souls followed the unequal struggle, in which the Spanish ships went down with their glorious banners flying. "What was going on in the waters of Cavite? From Manila we saw through glasses, the two squadrons almost mingled together in the clouds of smoke. This was not far from a triumph for our side, considenng the weak- ness of our batteries. For, once alongside the enemy, the cry of ' Boarders Away ! ' and the flash of cold steel might have enabled our devoted seamen to disturb the calm in which watches and instruments were regulating and directing those engines of destruction. In the blindness of our rage how should we paint the heroic deeds, the prowess, the waves of valor which burst forth from our men-of-war ? Those who fought beneath the Spanish flag bore themselves like men, as chosen sons of our native land who never measure forces, nor yield to superior force in the hands of an cn<-.my; who would 'rather die without ships than live in ships which have surrentWred. " To name those who distinguished themselves in battle would require the publication of the entire muster-rolls of our ships, from ccvotaiii to cabin- boy. To these victorious seamen of ours we offer congratulations; laurels for the living; prayers for the dead ; for all our deepest gratitude. Since we cannot reconstruct the bloody scene which was exhibited last Sunday in the waters of Cavite. we will not attempt a description, which would only be a 1^0 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. pale shadow of great deeds deserving a perpetual place in the pages of history. When the hostile squadron turned toward Cavite, the crew of the steamer Isla de Mindanao heard the drums beating to quarters, and answered with enthusiasm, the three rounds of cheers for the King, for the Queen, and for Spain, which echoed along our line. " Later, until a quarter to five, absolute silence reigned. Everything was ready. The idea of death was lost in ardor for the fray, and every eye was fixed on the battle flags waving at our mast heads. In perfect and majestic order — why should we deny this? — the nine Yankee ships advanced in battle array. The Olympia, bearing the Admiral's flag, led the column followed by the other ships, steering at full speed toward Cavite. The Olympia opened fire, and an instant reply came from the battery on the mole, which kept on firing at five-minute intervals, while the iron- clad shaped her course for the Reina Christina and Castilla. Into both these ships she poured a steady and rapid fire seconded by the ships which followed in her wake. Another ship which directed a heavy fire on our line was the Baltimore, and so the can- nonade went on until a quarter to eight. At that moment the Don Juan de Austria advanced against the enemy intending to board the Olympia, and if a tremendous broadside had not stopped her self-devoted charge, both ships might perhaps have sunk to the bottom. "Tried to Attack the Olympia. "The captain of the Reina Christina, seeing that the resolute attempt of his consort had failed, advanced at full speed until within about 200 yards of the Olympia, aiming to attack her. Then a shower of projectiles swept the bridge and decks filling the ship with dead and wounded heroes and martyrs whom the nation will remember as long as it endures. "A dense column of smoke from the bow-compartment showed that an incendiary projectile, such as the law of God and man prohibits, had set fire to the cruiser. The ship, still keeping up her fire on the enemy, withdrew toward the arsenal, where she was sunk to keep her from falling into the hands of the Yankees. " The desperation of the men of the Reina Christina was aggravated by the sight of the Castilla also in a blaze, from a similar use of incendiary pro- jectiles. The principal ships of our little squadron having thus been put out of action, the Yankee vessels, some of them badly crippled by the fire of our ships, and the batteries at Point Sangley, stood out toward Mariveles and the entrance of the bay, ceasing their fire and occupying themselves in repairing injuries until ten o'clock, when they began a second attack to complete their work of destruction. In this second assault the fire at the arsenal was extin- STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 81 guished.and they continued to cannonade the blazing gunboats. One gun- boat, which seemed to have nothing more venturesome to undertake, detached herself from the squadron and set to work to riddle the mail steamer Isla de Mindanao. Now that the ships were in flames, the Admiral, Senor Montojo, who had shown his flag as long as there was a vessel afloat, landed, and hostilities ceased. " The only Spanish ship which had not been destroyed by fire or by the enemy's projectiles, sunk herself so that she could in no wise be taken. Such in broad outlines, wliich we cannot correct at this moment, was the naval battle of Cavite, in which the last glimpse of our squadron showed the Spanish flag. A thousand sensational details have reached us, which we would reproduce gladly, after the necessary corrections, if our pen would serve for anything except to sing the glory of these martyrs of the nation. Perhaps to-morrow or another day, with fuller knowledge of the facts, we can furnish our readers with many interesting details. To-day we limit our- selves to a sketch of the grand picture which was unrolled before on the first of May, begging our friends to excuse the defects which they may note. *' The Killed and Wounded. "Killed: The Captain, Chaplain, Clerk, and Boatswain of the Reina Christina. Wounded: The Captains of the Castilla and Don Antonio de Ulloa; the Executive Ofificer of the Reina Christina; a Lieutenant of the Don Juan de Austria ; the Paymaster of the Ulloa, the second Surgeon of the Christina, the Surgeon of the Ulloa and Chief Engineers of the Christina and Austria. "Batteries. " The gunners of the batteries defending Manila and Cavite showed the highest degree of energy and heroism. Every one applauds these brave artillerymen who, by their calmness and skill, did all that was possible with the guns assigned to them, allowing for their deficiencies and imperfections. " The battery that did most harm to the enemy was the one on Point Sangley made up of Hontoria guns. From one of these guns came the shot which the Boston received, while four ships which had altogether 65 guns were pouring their fires on this battery to reduce it to silence. One gun hav- ing been crippled the other kept on playing, firing whenever damage could be done and avoiding waste of ammunition. To one of its shots is attributed the hurt which turned the Baltimore from the fight. This gun must have greatly annoyed the Yankees, to judge by the effort they made to silence its fire, following it up until six gunners had been killed and four wounded. " On this account it is proposed to demand the bestowal of the laurel- 6-D 82 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP, wreathed cross of San Fernando to the valiant gunners who served this bat tery. The Luneta battery at Manila which assailed the Yankee ships wit^l much vigor was the object of the enemy's special attention as he stood past the fortifications of Manila, heading for Cavite. Guns were also mounted at the entrance of the bay on Corregidor and Caballo Islands, on El Fraile rock, on the south shore at Point Restinga, and at Mariveles, Punta Gorda and Point Lasisi on the north shore. The guns on Corregidor Island were of about six-inch calibre ; similar guns were mounted on the rock and on Point 1 Restinga. The other batteries had guns of smaller calibre and short range. • ** Making the Best of the Situation. " The Spanish Club, ever earnest in remedying misfortune, gave liberal help to the refugees who survived from our ships of war. Doubtless the Civil Commission has arranged to secure supplies for the city, but it is cer- tain that since Sunday there has been great scarcity of everything, and specula- tors have got what prices they cared to ask for articles of prime necessity. Already people are growing calmer and the shops are open, and it is to be expected that Manila will go on resuming her usual life and animation. The great masses of the rural population of the Philippines, as well as the leader of the nation, have responded like loyal sons of Spain, sharing our pains and assisting in our labors. " The Admiral, Senor Montojo, has received a telegram of congratula- tion from the Minister of Marine who, in his own name, and in the name of the Queen of Spain, felicitates the Navy of this Archipelago for gallant be- havior on the day of Cavite. These are the terms of the telegram referred to: 'Honor and glory to the Spanish Fleet which fought so heroically in the bay." "After two days of silence, in which our paper failed to see the light by reason of exceptional circumstances occuring at Manila, and known to all the public, we return to our regular issue trusting in the good will of our sub- scribers." The above account is certainly as fair as could be expected from a Spaniard, but a few little things are slightly overdrawn. For instance, in one place he says the weakness of their batteries enables us to do as much harm as we chose. No doubt, but he omits to say that only a few days before they v.'ere holding high carnival in anticipation of their coming victory over us. Again, he seems to forget that the days of boarding men-o'-war, are over It would certainly be a poetical climax to have the two ships going dow i; STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 83 together, but then the Spanish always were a poetical race. Further he goes on to say that we used incendiary projectiles "prohibited by the laws of God and man," which either shows his ignorance of the laws of warfare or a de- sire to mislead his readers. That they fought heroically cannot be denied, and far be it from us to belittle their bravery in this action. As for the brave soldier of the Cazadores that prayed the Virgin Mary would turn the sea into land, so they could charge us (thirty thousand men against about sixteen hundred), we will quote the remark of one of the boys, who very naively said, " He'll be praying for 'another forty-day flood when Merritt and his troops arrive." It certainly isn't right to boast, but we cannot help taking this oppor- tunity to congratulate the other ships and ourselves on the coolness and braver}' displayed by the men of the entire fleet in this their first experience in real warfare. Of course after the first gun was fired and the eye caught the gleam of the glorious Stars and Stripes, all thoughts of self were lost in the one resolve that that flag would never be disgraced by any act of theirs ; but it was in the night entering the hostile harbor amid uncertain dangers from torpedo and mine ; with unseen guns frowning down upon us on either hand, each moment expecting the flash of a gun and fierce upheaval of a mine to herald our discovery and hurl us into eternity, that the strain was greatest and each man's courage was tested to the utmost. And how did they bear themselves ? Like Americans and veterans. Not a man flinched, and we feel justified in writing this little eulogy on our- selves. Eh, shipmates ? Rear Admiral George Dewey. A telegfram was received from the President and naval authorities at Washington, thanking Commodore Dewey, the officers and men of this squadron for their overwhelming victory and brilliant achievement in the battle of Manila Bay. The Commodore also received a vote of thanks from Congress in the name of the American people and was commissioned Rear-Admiral, dating from May tenth. The entire fleet join in congratulating Admiral Dewey on his appointment, and hope it will prove but the precursor of further honors and promotion. Captain Charles V. Gridley. It is with indescribable sorrow and regret that we hear of the untimely death of our beloved captain, Charles V. Gridley. He died on board the O. &. O. Steamer Coptic, at Kobe, Japan, June 5th. Owing to a serious ill- U STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. ness he was ordered home on sick-leave taking with him the sincere respect ^nd esteem of every man in the fleet. He left on the Zafiro, escorted to sea by the Concord, amid the cheering c( the entire fleet. He was taken to the steamer by a boat's crew of officers with First Lieutenant Reese acting as coxswain. The news of his death came Hke a thunder-bolt, filling our hearts with grief and pain. We respect- uUy extend our sincere sympathy to his relatives and friends. Gone ahead, to the Heavenly land Across the mighty River, Gone to join the angel band, Gained peace and joy forever. There was a poet on the Olympia who wrote some inspiring lines that appeared in T/ie Bounding Billow and are here reproduced. THE MAINE. Like a thunderbolt, the dire news came, That bowed our heads in sorrow, How midst a mine's fierce, flashing flame 'Neath the walls of Castle Morro, A nation's pride, the stately Maine, On peaceful mission bent, By the hands of murderous sons of Spain Now lying wrecked and rent. Not midst the battle's stirring blast. With colors proudly flying, Nor where the mighty cannon crashed O'er cheers of heroes, dying. *Twas while they slept ; 'twas time of peace For proud Columbia's seamen : When treach'rous hand the mine released; Let loose the fiery demon. O noble ship ! O gallant crew 1 Thy nation mourns its loss. Beneath Havana's waters blue, Thy murdered bodies toss. But Columbia's heroes true and brave, Avenge thee, beauteous Maine. The requiem thundered o'er thy grave Shall sound the knell of Spain. STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP. 85 A monument we'll raise to thee : 'Biding token of our sorrow, And in mem'ry of Spain's infamy, It shall stand o'er Castle Morro. L. S. Young. THE CURIO FIENDS. They've got flags and scraps of iron Tomahawks and bay'nets too, Soldier's pants without the lining 'Nother's got a woman's shoe. They've got knives marked " Mi Amigo," Which is Spanish for, my friend, Swords and daggers marked " Toledo" Which a Sandow couldn't bend. And each had a shot or shell Which was added to their hoard. And some brought them for to sell To the suckers left on board. There was lots of writing paper And O ! sech lots o' tools! And they cut full many a caper A guardin' 'em like jewels. One had a big ship's bell Which weighed almost a ton, And about twenty worked like (dash) And got a three-inch gun. A blunderbuss from sixty-seven Which adorned some mantle-piece, Old socks and bits o' ribbon, And a box of axle grease. There were Admiral's flags and pennants That numbered o'er a score, All from the"R. Cristina," Each curio hunter swore ; And some brought off a coat of arms From the stately Justice Hall, And others took the mirrors That hung ag'in the wall. We expect to see more actions *N lots o' bloody scenes, But I'd prefer such distractions To the crazy Curio Fiends. L. S. YouNO. 86 STORIES BY OFFICERS OF THE FLAGSHIP, THE BATTLE OF MANILA BAY. What sight is this our eyes behold ? What do these ships of war? Manned by Columbia's seamen bold, they speed for foemen's shore For news had come, sad news and dire, of brothers cruelly slain, And Cuba's woes raised heroes' ire ; they go, to war with Spain I And as they leave bleak China s coast, receding fast from view. Determined is this little host, to fight like freemen true. Two days upon the tropic sea, so mighty, calm and grand, Ere close beneath our squadron's lee, we saw the enemy's land. All day we steamed along tiie coast and scanned eac niche and bayj While every man stood at his post impatient for the fray. When night, a pall-like darkness fell, though lightning lit the skies. Their forts to pass, we planned it well, and take them by surprise. 'Twas midnight when our vessels boldly passed Corregidor For where Manila calmly nestles on fair Luzon's tropic shore : And guns frowned down upon us, from their forts on either hand. But no danger could deter us, not their might on sea or land. We had come to die or conquer, to avenge the sunken " Maine." Our watch- word, no surrender ! Our war-cry, down with Spain ! Calm and cool broke the morning, on that fateful first of May, When like storm's ihund'rous warning, roared a shot across the bay. But why that mighty cheering ! Ev'ry eye is turned on high, Where our banirer brightly gleaming, rainbow radiance in the sky : 'Twas " Old Glory" proudly waving that cheered each patriot breast. War's fearful dangers braving, to free a race oppressed. When the Spanish ships were sighted, stripped like warriors for the fray. When the Sabbath morn was lighted and battle's thunder woke the day, Every man stood at his station, grimly waiting the command To spread death and devastation, midst the foe on sea and land. As we closed the deadly distance and six Yankee broadsides bore. Brave and stubborn their resistance, though our shells swept ships and